Bhubaneswar, Nov. 18: BJD MP Prasanna Kumar Patasani's remark that more farmers have committed suicide in BJP-ruled Maharashtra than Odisha added fuel to the ongoing controversy.

Patasani is the third ruling party MP to make remarks that contradicts the state government's position. The saffron clad Lok Sabha member from Bhubaneswar today said: "The death toll in Odisha may not be more than 100, but in Maharashtra, it has exceeded 500."

Earlier, he had demanded a white paper from the state government on the suicides. The statements of Sambalpur MP Nagendra Pradhan, Puri MP Pinkai Mishra, party MLA Pramila Mallick and now Patasani have caused embarrassment to the party leadership and has provided ammunition to the Opposition.

Patasani's statement comes on the eve of the BJD's day-long farmers' rally in Bargarh district that will be addressed by chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

The party is leaving no stone unturned to make the rally a grand success to send the message that the ruling party and its government are determined to protect the interest of the farmers. Incidentally, west Odisha accounts for the maximum number of deaths. Although the unofficial figure is around 80, the state government has not accepted a single death as a case of farmer committing suicide due to debt.

While Pradhan and Mishra have said that the cases of suicide were mainly because of the bad crop and loan burden, Pramila Mallick, who heads the party's women wing, had refuted the allegations and had sarcastically asked the Opposition parties to distribute amar ladu (sweets of immortality) to farmers. Subsequently, the chief minister had reprimanded Mallick for her "irresponsible" comment. Sambalpur MP Nagendra Pradhan today reiterated his stance and said he would submit his report on farmer suicides to the chief minister.

Nearly one lakh people are expected to attend the convention. Party sources said three ministers - agriculture minister Pradeep Maharathy, co-operation minister Damodar Rout, revenue minister Bijayshree Routray and Mallick - who have courted controversies for their impromptus remarks on farmer suicides, have been asked by the party not to attend the meeting at Sohela. "Their presence will bring unnecessary tension to the rally," said a senior BJD leader.

Both BJP and Congress have criticised the government for not inviting these three ministers to the convention.

BJD spokesperson Pratap Deb today tried to play down the issue. "The chief minister is going to attend the rally and address the farmers' issues and there is no need for others to go. No one has been debarred from attending the rally."