From the political exchange in Tamil Nadu to the grassroots realities of farmer distress in Karnataka. As several parts of the state are staring at a drought situation, a political controversy over farmer suicides was triggered after Karnataka's textile minister Shivanand Patil linked the increase in the number of cases being reported to the increase in monetary compensation given to the family of the victims. His argument, in which he blames the media for sensationalising as well, was that in many cases deaths which were not by suicide were reported as one to claim compensation. The opposition BJP hit out at the government. NDTV's Pratibha Raman has the details.
