Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing critique of the Modi government on Thursday, holding it responsible for what he described as growing indifference towards the deepening agrarian crisis in Maharashtra.
Posting on social media platform X, Gandhi reacted strongly to reports that 767 farmers had taken their own lives in the state between January and March 2025. Quoting a report by The New Indian Express, he criticised the government for failing to respond to farmers’ longstanding demands. “Just think, 767 farmers took their own lives in just three months,” Gandhi wrote in Hindi. “These aren’t just numbers. These are 767 families shattered beyond repair. And what is the government doing? Watching in silence.”
Gandhi blamed soaring costs of inputs such as seeds, fertilisers, and diesel for driving farmers into deeper debt. He alleged that instead of offering meaningful assistance, the government continues to ignore basic demands like a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) and a comprehensive loan waiver. “There is no guarantee of MSP, and when farmers ask for a loan waiver, they’re simply ignored,” he said.
The Rae Bareli MP further accused the government of favouring the wealthy while neglecting the farming community. Referencing ongoing financial controversies, he claimed that large corporate defaulters are being treated with leniency. “Those with thousands of crores in debt see their loans waived without hesitation. Just look at today’s news — Anil Ambani’s ₹48,000 crore SBI fraud.”
He also recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s earlier pledge to double farmers' incomes, stating that the reality on the ground had turned out to be the opposite. “Instead of seeing their income double, farmers are seeing their lives cut in half. This system is killing them, silently and steadily, while Modi ji continues with his PR spectacle,” Gandhi said.
The controversy gathered further momentum in the Maharashtra Assembly, where senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar spoke on the same issue. He revealed that out of the 767 suicide cases, only 373 families had been deemed eligible for compensation. Of the remainder, 200 were declared ineligible, while 194 cases are still under investigation.
The opposition staged two walkouts over what they called the state’s mishandling of the issue. They also raised fresh concerns about unpaid dues to soybean farmers.
In response to Gandhi’s remarks, BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya accused him of hypocrisy. He posted data claiming that during the 15-year Congress-NCP rule in Maharashtra, 55,928 farmers had died by suicide. “Counting the dead for politics is shameful, but sometimes necessary to expose double standards,” Malviya wrote on X. “Before pointing fingers, Rahul Gandhi should answer for the tragic legacy of his own party’s governance in Maharashtra,” he added.
