Dehradun, Sep 8 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday demanded a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to look into the increasing suicides by distressed farmers.

"The BJP demands the constitution of a JPC on the issue of farmers' suicides to evolve the much needed holistic response to the multi-dimensional crisis," former BJP president and senior party leader M. Venkaiah Naidu told reporters.

On the second day of the three-day national executive meet here, the party passed a resolution on "Crisis in the nation's food security and on the farm front", accusing the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of playing havoc with the country's food security and paying lip service to the farmers' cause.

The national executive expressed deep concern over the prevailing situation in the farm sector, Naidu said. "The government should come out with a national package - not the notional package - to deal with this situation," he said.

The party opposed the acquisition of farmlands for developing special economic zones (SEZs).

The BJP had told its state governments that irrigated land should not be allowed to be acquired for setting up SEZs and the central government should make this norm mandatory for all the states, Naidu said.

"Only wastelands or land which is not under any use so far should be allowed to be used for setting up of SEZs," he said.

The party, in another resolution passed at the meet, accused the UPA government of discriminating against the BJP-ruled states when it came to providing assistance for natural calamities.

"The prime minister and his ministers have not yet visited any of the BJP-ruled states to take stock of the prevailing flood or drought situations there. This is an evidence of discrimination," Naidu said.

Gujarat and Rajasthan, ruled by the BJP, and Orissa, ruled by the BJP along with its ally Biju Janata Dal, have been hit by devastating floods this monsoon.

The party also adopted a resolution on the issue of price rise demanding immediate steps to provide relief to the common people.

"The ever-increasing service tax and education cess are fuelling the price rise and the government should take appropriate action to deal with the situation.

"To check the rising prices of diesel and petrol, the government should rationalise the duty structure related to petroleum products," said V.K. Malhotra, deputy leader of the party in the Lok Sabha.

The party accused the government of weakening the public distribution system and demanded a ban on speculative trading in agricultural commodities.

The BJP decided to set up a six-member committee headed by Naidu to launch a nationwide agitation on the price rise, Malhotra said.