Jamaat demands govt. to set up national commission over farmers’ suicides

May 2, 2015

PressMeetMay
 

New Delhi, 02 May 2015:  While expressing extreme concern over the rising suicide trend among farmers in the country, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind today demanded the central government to institute a national commission to thoroughly probe the issue, find out the factors and come up with lasting solution. Jamaat made the demand at its monthly press conference (held on first Saturday of every month) at its headquarters here in New Delhi.

The press conference was addressed by Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari, Ameer (National President) of Jamaat and newly appointed Secretary General Mohammad Salim Engineer. Some other national leaders of the Jamaat including present vice president Nusrat Ali, former vice president Mohammad Jafar and secretaries Ejaz Ahmed Aslam and Mohammad Ahmed were also present.

“Though politicians and also our Prime Minister have expressed grief over the Jantar Mantar death there has been little serious discussion of reasons and policies to address the problem,” said the Jamaat while referring to the death of Rajasthan farmer Gajendra Singh who allegedly committed suicide during Aam Aadmi Party’s rally last week at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.

“As ad hoc measures like loan waivers, relief packages or compensation to suicide victims’ families have not curbed the suicide tendency among farmers, there is an urgent need to review the policies. Jamaat-e-Islami Hind demands the central government to set up a national commission to look into the whole issue.”

Jamaat also demanded interest-free loans to farmers.

“Some studies have counted the following factors behind farmer suicides: Marginal landholdings, debts and lack of institutional banking facilities resulting in farmers’ dependence on moneylenders. Jamaat, however thinks that interest is at the core of the crisis and demands the government to offer interest-free loans to farmers, or at least start a pilot project of interest-free loans in the worst affected areas.”

Responding to a question, Ameer-e Jamaat said Jamaat has been working on microfinance for poor including farmers. He said all need to work to overcome the crisis of farmer suicide.

Jamaat leaders also briefed the media about Jamaat’s relief work in Nepal, its stand on the life sentence to Azamgarh youth Hakim Tarique Qasmi and net neutrality.

When asked about Jamaat’s future plan to help the families of Tarique Qasmi and co-accused Khalid Mujahid (who died in police custody in 2013), Secretary General of Jamaat, Mohammad Salim Engineer said he himself was present at the Press Conference at Press Club of India in New Delhi where he met Qasmi’s lawyer Randhir Singh Suman. He said the Jamaat will continue to support the family in the case at higher court also.

 

Full Text of Press Note (02 May 2015):

1. Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Provides Relief to People Affected by the Nepal Earthquake

On 25th April, Nepal was hit by a severe earthquake that resulted in loss of life and property on a large scale. According to latest information, the number of people dead is likely to be over 10,000, while correct estimate for loss of property could not be made up to now. In Nepal, Bihar and surrounding areas, the Jamaat has already started relief work for people affected by the earthquake. A relief team with relief material worth 21 lakh rupees has already reached Nepal. The relief material includes food packets, medicines, health aids and tents. The medical team has also started providing medical aid. The workers of Jamaat from Bihar and Kerala Jamaat’s Islamic Relief Wing (IRW), are active in the relief work. The national secretary of Jamaat for social service, Mohammed Shafi Madni, is already in Kathmandu to supervise the relief work and the activities of Human Welfare Foundation.

2. The case of two victims: Khalid Mujahid and Tariq Qasmi:

Jamaat-e-Isalmi Hind, an apex body of Indian Muslims, expresses surprise and grief over the award of life sentence by a Barabanki court to Tariq Qasmi, an accused in the bomb blast case inside Faizabad and Lucknow courts. In an official statement, the Jamaat has said that the judgement appears to be more political than legal. Some important evidences have been completely ignored in the delivery of the verdict and arguments of the prosecution have been accepted ipso facto.

The Jamaat has wondered that no importance at all has been given to the Nimesh Commission report while the report has a major bearing on this case. The report terms the arrest of Khalid Mujahid and Tariq Qasmi as doubtful based on which the Uttar Pradesh government had even submitted an application demanding release of Khalid and Tariq which was rejected on some technical grounds.

The Jamaat feels if the court had paid attention to the questions raised in the report and if further investigation was done about the actual date on which the two accused had been arrested and the date on which the arrest were shown, it could have revealed some more facts and Maulana Tariq Qasmi could have got justice. The Jamaat has also expressed its worry over the judge’s statement while delivering the sentence: “I am issuing this judgement under pressure as I have to continue my service.”

While talking to media, Advocate Shoaib and Advocate Randhir Singh Suman quoted the judges sentence and wondered if courts were under pressure. Does this show independence of judiciary? This situation prevails in those states where leaders make tall claims of their secular credentials and make use of every possible occasion to proclaim to be true sympathizers of minorities. The lawyers have even raised questions over the alleged possession and confiscation of explosives which have never been produced before the court. Then for what crime the accused has been awarded the life sentence?

The Jamaat has been raising questions about Khalid Mujahid, the second person arrested in the same case especially following his death under mysterious circumstances in police custody. “Rihai Manch,” an organization fighting against the arrest and release of the innocent people in Uttar Pradesh has been raising this issue for long and the Jamaat has been supporting the Manch’s endeavours from the very beginning. Now as the High Court has ordered a CBI inquiry into the death of Khalid Mujahid, the Jamaat welcomes this decision and it hopes that as many innocent Muslims arrested under false charges have been released, similarly Tariq Qasmi will be honourably released and the perpetrators of Khalid Mujahid’s murder will be punished. The Jamaat is hopeful that supremacy of law will be held high and justice will be done to the family of late Khalid Mujahid and Tariq Qasmi. 

3. Farmers’ Suicide

The death of a farmer at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and suicides of three farmers within 24 hours in Rajasthan are grim reminder of the under-reported agrarian crisis that our country has been facing for some decades. In the last two decades alone, three lakh farmers have committed suicide. Though politicians and also our Prime Minister have expressed grief over the Jantar Mantar death there has been little serious discussion of reasons and policies to address the problem. As ad hoc measures like loan waivers, relief packages or compensation to suicide victims’ families have not curbed the suicide tendency among farmers, there is an urgent need to review the policies. Jamaat-e-Islami Hind demands the central government to set up a national commission to look into the whole issue.

Some studies have counted the following factors behind farmer suicides: Marginal landholdings, debts and lack of institutional banking facilities resulting in farmers’ dependence on moneylenders. Jamaat, however thinks that interest is at the core of the crisis and demands the government to offer interest-free loans to farmers, or at least start a pilot project of interest-free loans in the worst affected areas.

Most of the farmer suicides are taking place in developed states of the country like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu etc. Some of them are among the states with highest per capita incomes. This clearly proves that prosperity is not equally distributed and not everyone’s life is being uplifted by the so-called rising tide of economic growth in the country. 

4. Net Neutrality

Telecom companies — which are among the biggest internet service providers in India as more than half of all internet users access the internet on their mobile devices — don’t think all data on the internet should be treated as equal. From the rising popularity and use of services like WhatsApp and Skype, which enable a user to send and receive messages and calls over the internet, telecom companies claim losses in revenues. To make up for it, they wish to charge extra from users if they were to use such online services. They have approached TRAI (Telecom Regularity Authority of India) to bring in regulation which will allow them to discriminately charge users and even online service providers. TRAI has asked all stake holders to express their view on the issue. It is unlikely that the market-driven government of BJP would go against the interests of the telecom companies.

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind thinks that Internet is a public utility, just like electricity. And if an electric company doesn’t get to decide how a consumer uses its service, neither should an internet service provider. There should be a level-playing field and use of Internet should remain neutral as it is today. Our country should also follow the global trend of net neutrality.

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4 Comments

  1. sahab Uddin

    Very good job

  2. muhammad tarique khan

    Yeh wqt ki Zaroorat hey, hamen apne matmahe nazar. Wazah karna zaroori hey, kissan aur aam peshawar tabqe ke bare men hum kya soch rakhte hen, جزاك الله خيرا

  3. parwezjamal

    Nice jobs done in Nepal by jih.but i think more effort will be done by state jih Bihar unit but we are fail.

  4. Abdulaziz sayed

    JIH is doing great in intreast of humanbeings and nation