NCP (SP) leader slams Maharashtra govt over farmer suicides, crimes against women, corruption

Senior NCP SP leader Jayant Patil on Saturday criticised the Maharashtra government over farmer suicides and crimes against women and asserted leaders of the ruling alliance had earned a PhD in corruption. In a statement, Patil said that although the BJP was in power in 17 states, Maharashtra ranked first in the country in both corruption and farmer suicides and second in crimes against women.

Senior NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil on Saturday criticised the Maharashtra government over farmer suicides and crimes against women and asserted leaders of the ruling alliance had ''earned a PhD in corruption''. In a statement, Patil said that although the BJP was in power in 17 states, Maharashtra ranked first in the country in both corruption and farmer suicides and second in crimes against women. Citing figures from the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, he said 3,824 farmers died by suicide in Maharashtra in the past year, placing the state at the top in the country on that parameter. ''A total of 47,954 cases of crimes against women were reported in the state during the same period, making Maharashtra the second highest in the country. The state ranked first in corruption with 721 cases. Leaders of the ruling alliance have earned a PhD in corruption,'' he alleged. The Mahayuti government has erased Maharashtra's identity as a noble and sacred land, the NCP (SP) leader added. He said the opposition had repeatedly raised the issues of farmer suicides, crimes against women and corruption in the state legislature, but had received no satisfactory response from the government. The only answer the government has is that ''all is well'', Patil said. The Mahayuti government comprises the BJP, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and the Sunetra Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB recently released its report 'Crime in India 2024'. The NCRB compiles and publishes annual crime data in the country. It is a repository of crime, criminals and missing persons, which is used for policy-making and research under the Ministry of Home Affairs.