Bhubaneswar, March 20: The Congress and the BJP today pressed for a probe into the farmer suicides taking place in the state by a House committee.

This comes two days after agriculture minister Pradeep Maharathy had claimed that the farmer suicides taking place in the state were not because of crop loss or debt burden. The Opposition members stormed the Well and raised slogans against the government, forcing adjournment of the proceedings for an hour. Consequently, the House could not run its question-answer business.

Once the Assembly reassembled, Opposition leader Narasingha Mishra said he had placed all possible evidences related to the suicide of Hadu alias Khainu Bagarti.

"I had tabled a CD carrying the statement of the deceased's widow, his daughter-in-law, local panchayati raj representatives and some prominent villagers. All of them said he had committed suicide because of crop failure and debt burden. A group of senior lawyers also visited the village and they found the reason to be the same," he said.

"What is the basis of Maharathy's contention?" asked Mishra, adding that he had photographs to prove that the Hadu's crops had been completely destroyed.

He said there was almost unanimity for further probe and wondered why the minister was running away from the House committee probe. "The government will not fall if the minister admits that the suicide was due to crop failure or loan burden," he said.

Tara Prasad Bahinipati and Nabakishore Das of the Congress, along with BJP MLA Bibhuti Bhusan Harichandan, supported the demand for the House committee probe. Das said no farmer would commit suicide if he weren't in a distress situation. "The reasons behind the suicides should be impartially probed and remedial measures should be taken to prevent further deaths. If we are unable to do it, history will not forgive us," he said.

However, BJD chief whip Ananta Das said there was no need for a House committee when there was already an Assembly standing committee of the department. "There are members from various parties in the committee and it is capable of conducting a probe into the matter," he said.

BJD MLA Amar Prasad Satpathy said they were also concerned about the farmers committing suicides. "Such an humanitarian issue should not be politicised," he said.