Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, leader of the Janata Dal (Secular), on Tuesday, 19 May accused the Congress government in Karnataka of deliberately concealing farmer suicide figures, even as it staged a high-profile convention in Tumakuru to mark three years in office. Speaking at the party's state office, JP Bhavan, in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy cited National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data to press his charge.

The Numbers Behind the Allegation

Citing NCRB figures, Kumaraswamy claimed that 2,423 farmers and agricultural labourers died by suicide in Karnataka in 2023, followed by 2,971 such deaths in 2024 — a two-year toll of 5,394 lives. He alleged that these figures place Karnataka second in the country in farmer suicide cases. “Is the government unaware of these figures, or is it intentionally suppressing them?” he questioned.

Kumaraswamy said he was prompted to speak after reading a newspaper report on the rising trend, and expressed shock that the state administration had not responded with urgency.

Attack on the Tumakuru Convention

The Janata Dal (Secular) leader directed sharp criticism at the Congress government’s three-year anniversary convention held in Tumakuru, accusing it of spending “crores of rupees” on a public event while farmers remained in acute distress. “This government has built a tomb over the lives of farmers and is showcasing its grandeur on top of it. Farmers are dying every day, while the government is celebrating in the name of guarantee schemes,” he alleged.

He also questioned the effectiveness of the state’s welfare guarantee programmes, arguing that the continuing suicides exposed their failure. Kumaraswamy further alleged that government officials had been given targets to mobilise crowds for the event because, he claimed, people were not attending Congress programmes voluntarily.

Revenue Department and the ‘Sixth Guarantee’

Kumaraswamy criticised the functioning of the state’s Revenue Department, alleging that farmers continued to face serious administrative problems despite the government publicising revenue-related initiatives at the convention. He was particularly dismissive of what he described as a proposed ‘Land Guarantee’ being projected as a sixth guarantee scheme. “The continuing farmer suicides expose the true state of governance,” he said.

Bidadi Township Row and Party Developments

Responding to a challenge from Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar over the proposed Bidadi Township project, Kumaraswamy said he was prepared for a public debate. He alleged that nearly 3,500 people in Bidadi had submitted objections and petitions, and that farmers were allegedly being pressured by “goons and police” to cede their land. “If the project was genuinely beneficial, farmers themselves would have willingly given their land,” he said.

On the political front, Kumaraswamy announced that former Member of Legislative Assembly Akhanda Srinivas Murthy was likely to formally join the Janata Dal (Secular) soon, following a courtesy visit to Murthy’s residence in Bengaluru earlier that day. Senior party leaders including Kolar MP Mallesh Babu, Greater Bengaluru JD(S) President H.M. Ramesh Gowda, and former Legislative Council member Chowdareddy Thoopalli accompanied him during the visit.

With Karnataka’s farm distress numbers now squarely in the political arena, the state government is likely to face mounting pressure to respond to the NCRB data and detail the concrete outcomes of its guarantee schemes for the agricultural community.