A newspaper clipping of an insensitive comment about farmers’ has gone viral all over social media. It is being claimed that a BJP MP from Maharashtra said that ‘let farmers die if they want to’.
The newspaper headline read, “मरते है तोह मरने दो किसानों को”
(Translation: “Let farmers die if they wanted to”)
The Facebook caption read, “किसानों के प्रति BJP नेताओं की सोच।। #FarmersProtest”
(Translation: “BJP leaders’ thinking about farmers. #FarmersProtest”)

Other similar posts were found here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

FACT CHECK

NewsMobile fact-checked the above post and found it to be old and misleading.
With the help of keywords, we found a news article by The News Minute dated December 31, 2014, claiming that BJP MP from Akola, Maharashtra came under fire for saying, ‘If farmers are dying, let them die’.

Moreover, we also found another news article by Maharashtra Times dated December 30, 2014, claiming that BJP MP Sanjay Dhotre kicked up controversy while addressing a conference. He said ‘let the farmers die.’

On digging further, we found a visual report by Times now dated December 13, 2014. YouTube description read, ‘In the last 72 hours, 12 farmers in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region have committed suicide, and yet Akola BJP MP Sanjay Dhotre, who claims to be fighting for their cause, has openly mocked their struggle and in the presence of the state’s Revenue Minister said, “Let them die.” Listen in to that insensitive comment’.

Other media organizations like Deccan Chronicle, The Hindu and NDTV also reported that BJP MP Sanjay Dhotre gave insensitive comments about farmers’ in 2014.
Hence, an old newspaper clipping is falsely being shared as recent one. Don’t fall for old claims as it is misleading for the masses.

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