Saturday, April 15 2006 15:38 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Pamidi (AP): Senior BJP leader L K Advani today (Apr 15, 2006) demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the large scale suicides by farmers in Andhra Pradesh and said the disturbing trend reflected growing public disenchantment with the policies of the government.

Addressing a series of public meetings in the backward Ananthapur district today as part of his 6,000 km long 'Bharat Suraksha Yatra', Advani said over 4,000 farmers had committed suicide in the last two years of Congress rule with the wrong policies of the UPA government being responsible for the growing plight of farming community.

Asserting that his party would raise the issue in the coming Parliament session and demand institution of JPC to go into the reasons for the deepening agrarian crisis, the Leader of the Opposition called upon people to mount pressure on the government to amend its policies to check suicides.

"Our efforts as the Opposition Party will bear fruits only when you put pressure on the government to change its policies," Advani told a motley crowd that gathered at the road side meetings he addressed at Guntakal, Gooty and Pamidi in Ananthapur district.

In his brief address at various places along the yatra route, Advani referred to the problems of farmers and said there was a need to analyze the root causes for the growing rural distress.