Vidarbha suicides: BJP criticises Cong for apathy

Criticising the Congress for its "apathy" towards the plight of farmers in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, the BJP said the issue must be solved keeping aside any political considerations.

"In spite of the special package announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, farmer suicides have not yet stopped and the effectiveness of the package can be gauged from this itself," state BJP unit president Nitin Gadkari was quoted as saying in a release.

All parties must come together to press for a rate of Rs 2,700 per quintal for cotton and Rs 1,000 per quintal for grains, Gadkari said, adding it was essential to have a non-political discussion on the issue by representatives of all parties.

Coming down heavily on MPCC president Prabha Rau for her reported statement that an all-party meeting called recently to discuss the issue was a mere nautanki (charade), he said it was "unfortunate" that a leader of the ruling party had made such a comment.