Mandya, July 31 (IANS) The suicide of a farmer couple in Karnataka’s Mandya district took a political turn on Friday, with Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy visiting the bereaved family and launching a scathing attack on the Congress government, accusing it of failing to address the worsening drought situation and neglecting distressed farmers.
Kumaraswamy visited Hatna Bevukallu village in Mandya taluk to offer his condolences to the family of Meese Puttaswamy (58) and his wife Nagamma (55), who allegedly died by suicide after suffering severe crop losses and mounting debt. The Union Minister said the incident reflected the grim realities confronting the farming community across Karnataka.
The couple, who owned nearly five acres of agricultural land and lived with their children, were found hanging from a tree on Thursday (July 30). According to local sources, Puttaswamy had accumulated loans from multiple sources over the years. Consecutive crop failures, attributed to deficient rainfall, coupled with increasing pressure from lenders, are believed to have driven the couple to take the extreme step.
Speaking to reporters after meeting the family members, Kumaraswamy alleged that Karnataka was witnessing another wave of farmer suicides. He said hundreds of farmers were being pushed towards taking their own lives, with crop losses extensive across several parts of the state.
“Instead of reaching out to distressed farmers, members of this government are busy posing for photographs in parched fields. What farmers need today is confidence and support, not photo opportunities,” he remarked.
The Union Minister said banks had begun issuing notices to farmers with outstanding loans and questioned the measures being taken by the state government to mitigate the crisis.
“The greatest tragedy is that Karnataka does not even have an Agriculture Minister at a time when farmers are facing such severe hardship,” he said.
Kumaraswamy further accused the Congress leadership of prioritising cabinet expansion discussions over governance and urged the government to immediately focus on providing relief to drought‑hit farmers across the state.
–IANS
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