The death by suicide of a 50-year-old farmer, K.G. Prasad, in Alappuzha has spotlighted the agrarian distress in Kuttanad, widely reckoned as Kerala’s rice bowl.
It has also exposed the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government to strident criticism from Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and Leader of Opposition, V.D. Satheesan and pushed farm bankruptcies and debt-driven suicides of smallholders to the forefront of the State’s public debate.
Mr. Khan waded into the politically sensitive issue. He told reporters in Kochi that the government splurged on celebrations while farmers and pensioners suffered. Mr. Khan said he was headed to Alappuzha to meet the farmer’s bereaved family.
