Farmers massive protest called off CM Kumaraswamy called for meeting &Agitating farmers set 15-day deadline for government.
Highlights:
Farmers demands :
* Complete and unconditional waiver of farm loans.
* Fixing of minimum support price for all crops.
* Special package for economic rejuvenation in rural areas.
* Simplified procedure for agricultural loans.
* Prevent banks from harassing farmers.
* Rs.25,000 per hectare compensation in drought hit areas .
* Ban on mining around the kannambadi dam.
Around 5,000 farmers from across Karnataka staged protests here on Monday seeking a loan waiver, higher price for sugarcane and relief aid for losses incurred due to drought in 17 districts across the state.
Hundreds of farmers reached the city in buses,trains,trucks and tractors from 20 of the 30 districts including Ramanagara, Mandya,Mysuru,Kodagu,Kolar,
Farmers from all over the state have come to force the state government meet our demands on loan waiver, higher price for sugarcane and compensation for kharif crop loss due to drought this year,” Karnataka State Farmers Association President,Chamaraj Patil told reporters here.Though Chief Minister H.D.Kumaraswamy announced farm loan waiver in June, the banks have not written off a rupee even after five months.Except for making announcements and giving assurances, nothing has happened.We are also unable to take fresh credit as old loans have not been waived off yet,” Patil added.Police blocked hundreds of agitators from marching towards the state Secretariat from Freedom Park near the main railway station and the city-cum-district bus stand as prohibitory orders were issued in the VIP area.We have urged the police to allow at least our representatives to meet Kumaraswamy for submitting a memorandum and discussing our problems.”Glut in production, higher inventory of unsold stock and imports have reduced retail price of sugar to Rs 30 per kg even as input costs have doubled,” Patil added
Security has been stepped up in the city with about,4 DCPs as,M.N.Anucheth,Chethan Singh Rathore,Devaraj,Saraha Fathima,
6 ACPs as,Mahanth Reddy,Parameshwar Hegde,Manjunath,Virupakshappa,
Karnataka is the third largest sugarcane producer after Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, which had harvested 32 million tonne in 2017-18.
The drought has affected 15-lakh hectares of agricultural and horticultural crops in 17 districts across the state, with an estimated loss of Rs 8,000 crore.
The sugarcane cultivators demanded that the sugar factory owners return the money they are owed immediately. Farmers alleged that the factories have not paid them since 2017 for the sugarcane supplied.Sources in the JD(S) say that Chief Minister Kumaraswamy was livid as Ramesh Jarkiholi, who owns Sowbhagya Lakshmi Sugars in Belagavi district, has also been accused of not paying the farmers.
Jayashree women protester,The CM’s comments were distasteful and insulting you should understand the meaning of what he said I certainly didn’t expect this from the CM I am sorry for the remarks I made I am willing to fall at his feet and seek his apology.I want him to arrive at Suvarna Soudha and fix the price please ensure that the outstanding dues are paid off.However it is not acceptable if the CM talks in this manner.
Agitated protester told media persons that,HDK as Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy is not fit to become the chief minister Kumaraswamy and his family are known to do Goondagiri in the state the way a CM spoke to that woman yesterday even a shepherd won’t speak like that to a woman.If a CM is speaking in such a manner to a woman who is doing Goondagiri?is it the CM or us?why have they deployed so many policemen here? Have we come here to steal or loot?we have come here to ask for our rights he added.
Woman protester told media persons,Kumaraswamy is not seeing the farmers who are suffering due to lack of rains.He is not Kumaraswamy but he is ‘Kanneer Swamy’ at the present we farmers gathered here do not care if they arrest us or kill us by bullets or lathis.We are prepared to die she added.
Bandeppa Kashempur,Co-operation minister who arrived at freedom park on behalf of chief minister of Karnataka state HD Kumaraswamy told media persons,Karantaka state farmers association and the green army and other associations from bidar to chamarajanagar have come and stated the 39 problems they are facing on the CM’s behalf I have received their requests he added.
Chief Minister,HD Kumaraswamy told media persons that,A lady sporting a green shawl spoke about me.I don’t know whether she has worked on the fields or not.She said that CM is Nalayak (Unfit),she wasn’t paid the FRP for the last four years by the mill owners I have been a CM only for the last five months you (farmers)went and voted for these owners were you sleeping for the last four years?.This media is undertaking propaganda I get information regularly the media got farmers to sleep under the trucks and broadcast these visuals you (media) are the ones who are sponsoring this I am not afraid of this.Yesterday the farmers were protesting in Koppal they were demanding complete farm loan waiver.I want to ask them a question did they think of me when they cast their vote?They have voted based on caste considerations and accepted money from the candidates.If they had voted for me they do have the moral right to question me.
BS Yeddyurapa,BJP State president told media persons,Farmers need to be paid a remunerative price he promised that he would arrive in Belagavi and resolve the problem.He had an opportunity he lied about the farm loan waiver.
Chief Minister asked Ramesh Jarkiholi why he had not addressed the issue with the farmers directly. The CM said that since Ramesh Jarkiholi had remained silent for so long, the farmers have now become angry. He held Ramesh Jarkiholi accountable but the minister did not answer any questions and just walked out of the cabinet meeting,” the source said.
Congress insiders say that Ramesh Jarkiholi was reluctant to attend the cabinet meeting itself. “Eshwar Khandre (KPCC working president) had to call him and request him to attend the cabinet meeting,” the source added.
Massive protest was called off by Farmers leaders at 4 PM.
K.T.Gangadhar president of farmers leader told,Hundreds of farmers from across the state on Monday staged a protest here on a host of issues and set a fortnight long deadline for the government to fulfil their demands,including complete loan waiver.Farmers’ have given the government a memorandum
containing about 40 demands,and have expressed hope that the Chief Minister and his cabinet would look in to it and
take an appropriate decision.Their charter of demands include full loan waiver,minimum support price for crops and relief measures for drought hit areas.Farmers also expressed anguish over Chief Minister Kumaraswamy’s reported comments against a woman farmer from Belagavi on Sunday, and sought an apology.Agitating farmers who had threatened to lay a siege to Vidhana Soudha,the state secretariat, were stopped by the police at the Freedom Park.Despite farmers demand that Kumaraswamy should meet and hear them,the government sent co-operation minister Bandeppa Kashempur to talk to agitating ryots.Government has said they will call us for meeting to discuss on our issues.We have demanded that government
fulfil its promises and look into our demands,we have given 15 days deadline,if nothing happens we will start our agitation again from village level,” farmer leader K.T.Gangadhar told media persons here.
Kumaraswamy has now convened a meeting of sugarcane farmers and sugar factory owners at Vidhana Soudha in
Bengaluru on Tuesday to discuss the issue and find a way out so hence the protest was called off by the agitating sugarcane farmers
