Bengaluru, May 8 (IANS) Senior Bharatiya Janata Party and Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly R. Ashoka on Friday launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government over the rising number of farmer suicides in the state, alleging that the government was indulging in “guarantee politics over the bodies of farmers”.

In a statement, Ashoka questioned the reasons behind the reported 22.61 per cent increase in farmer suicides in Karnataka and asked whether the rise in the number of suicides from 2,423 to 2,971 within a year reflected the failure of the state government’s administration.

Ashoka alleged that the Congress government’s anti-farmer policies had been exposed by the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report and questioned the rise in farmer suicides in Karnataka despite a decline in several other states.

Targeting the Chief Minister, he said Siddaramaiah was more concerned about possible messages from the party high command and speculation surrounding leadership change than addressing the distress faced by farmers.

He further alleged that Karnataka being placed second in the country in terms of farmer deaths was proof of the Congress government’s “model governance”.

The BJP leader accused the state government of spending crores of rupees on advertisements in the name of guarantee schemes while farmers were being pushed towards suicide due to crop loss, mounting debt, electricity tariff hikes and water scarcity.

“Farmers are neither getting fair prices for their crops nor value for their lives. Is this your people-friendly government?” he questioned.

Ashoka also warned that politics built on the tears of farmers would not last long and said no guarantee scheme could shield the Congress government from the “curse of farmers”.

It can be noted that according to the NCRB ‘Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India’ 2024 report released on May 7, 2026, a total of 10,546 farmers and agricultural labourers died by suicide, a marginal 2.22 per cent decline from 10,786 in 2023. While national numbers decreased, Karnataka saw a significant 22.6 per cent increase in such cases.

Maharashtra recorded the highest number of deaths (3,824), followed by Karnataka (2,971), Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.

–IANS

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