Kolkata, March 26 The BJP's West Bengal unit chief, Samik Bhattacharya, claimed on Thursday that at least five farmers have died by suicide in the state since February and accused the TMC government of abandoning potato growers who are facing a crisis due to low prices.
He stated that reports of farmer deaths are coming from various parts of West Bengal.
According to Bhattacharya, farmers are resorting to suicide out of fear that they will not be able to sell their produce and repay their loans, as the West Bengal government has stopped transporting potatoes to other states.
He claimed that at least five farmers have died by suicide in different districts of the state since February, and he blamed the TMC's "irresponsible attitude" for these deaths.
Naming five farmers who allegedly committed suicide, Bhattacharya said, "The state government is not providing any financial assistance to potato farmers."
He accused cold storage owners of being asked by the state government to buy potatoes from farmers at a higher price than the market, alleging that the Mamata Banerjee government was trying to shift the responsibility to cold storage owners.
"It is the primary responsibility of the government to support the farmers. The government should set a minimum support price to help them and ensure that they get a fair price for their produce," the BJP leader said.
Bhattacharya stated that the agricultural sector in West Bengal is facing a challenging situation. "Illegal sand mining is causing rivers to change course and fertile land to be flooded, affecting agricultural produce."
On the occasion of Ram Navami, he criticized the ruling dispensation, claiming that celebrations have been affected in different parts of the state due to those trying to create divisions among people.
"This is the land of Lord Ram, so why can't Ram Navami be celebrated?" he asked, adding, "Both Ram and Rahim will coexist."
He claimed that the TMC's "politics of hatred" has led to Asaduddin Owaisi entering the West Bengal political scene.
Owaisi's party, the AIMIM, has allied with former TMC MLA Humayun Kabir's newly-formed AJUP to contest the assembly elections in West Bengal.
"There is no difference between the TMC and those who promote politics of hatred," the BJP leader said.
Accusing the supporters of the ruling dispensation of indulging in violence, he said, "In several cases of crime, both the victim and the accused are from the Trinamool Congress."
Bhattacharya claimed that more than 300 BJP workers have been killed in West Bengal since 2016. "Now, the TMC supporters are attacking their own," he said, while expressing anguish over the murder of a man in Kolkata's Patuli in the early hours of Thursday.
The BJP leader said that the Election Commission should ensure the safety and security of every person in West Bengal amid the charged assembly election atmosphere.
Bhattacharya also announced that TMC's Purulia Zilla Parishad member and a Santhali language expert, Kalendranath Mandi, has joined the BJP.