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Journalism of Courage
Senior politicians across party lines on Thursday queued up to offer condolences to the family members of farmer Gajendra Singh Kalyanvat, who had hung himself from a tree during an AAP rally in Delhi. His body was brought to his house at Nangal Jhamarwada village in Bandikui, 120 km from Jaipur.
As politics over the condition of farmers intensified after Gajendra’s death on Wednesday, parties rushed to offer compensation to the bereaved family. Congress chief in Rajasthan Sachin Pilot and former CM Ashok Gehlot, who visited the family in the morning, announced Rs 2 lakh as compensation from the party fund, while BJP leader and state minister Arun Chaturvedi announced Rs 6 lakh as relief from the party fund. AAP too promised Rs 10 lakh and offered to bear the education cost of Gajendra’s three children. Samajwadi Party also announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for his family. The Rajasthan government, however, is yet to announce an ex-gratia.
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As distraught family members looked on, political leaders traded charges over a deepening farmers’ crisis and mismanagement by the state government. “It should be an eye-opener for the state as well as the Centre. Not that the state has never witnessed unseasonal rain or drought earlier, but farmers were so far reassured that they would be taken care of. This incident points to the insecurity among the farmers. It goes to show that despite big announcements by the state government, no relief has reached the farmers suffering due to crop damage,” alleged Pilot.
Defending the state government, Chaturvedi said that Health Minister Rajendra Rathore would arrive with due compensation for the bereaved family on Friday. “The crisis is completely unforeseen and unimaginable. The state government has made relaxations in the compensation norms in favour of farmers and is committed to offer further relief,” he added.
BJP MP Namo Narayan Meena, National People’s Party MLA Kirodi Lal Meena, senior Rajput leader Lokendra Singh Kalvi, former Congress minister Jitendra Singh, former state minister Durru Miyan too attended Gajendra’s last rites.
Gajendra is survived by wife Hema Kanwar, daughter Megha (17) and two sons aged 13 and 8.
With ENS, Lucknow
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