Price of farmer Rs 5000!

What is the price of a poor farmer? Is it 5,000 or 10,000 rupees? Or what? It sounds strange but true in Assam. Come to Bhawanipur and meet the family members of Taraf Ali a few days after the poor farmer committed suicide. For the first three days no public representative visited the bereaved family members triggering protest among the local residents who threatened them of dire consequences in the time of the upcoming assembly polls. Finally, buckling under mounting criticism, Bhawanipur MLA Abdul Kalam Azad along with his Sarukhetri colleague reached the family members to convey their deep sympathies. But what they did in the name of the healing visit raised the eyebrows of the local residents. Much to the utter anger and disgust of the local residents, they paid 5000 rupees along with another 10,000 rupees they received from AIUDF president Badaruddin Ajmal. But they smartly posed before the camera for publicity  stunt, as they handed over the meager amount to Taraf’s wailing wife. 

Is it enough to console the bereaved family members who have lost their head caught in poverty hardly a week ago? Taraf committed suicide by hanging himself at his own cowshed after flood waves repeatedly damaged his crops. Nobody from the district administration visited the family members triggering huge protest in the entire area. This was followed by the consolation visit where the disgusting amount added fuel to the fire among the local residents. If Assam’s economy is agriculture based then is it the real price of a famer who had to commit suicide caught in the grim flood waves? Who has the answer? Strange are the ways of the peoples’ representatives.