Farmers who gathered in thousands took out a march in the main streets of the town raising  slogans against the government. They demanded satisfactory supply of fertilisers, grant of fresh loans at 3 pc interest, regularisation of lands under unauthorised cultivation and issue of BPL cards to the poor of all categories.

Addressing the protesters, former legislator G V Sriramareddy attributed fertiliser shortage in the state to laxity on the part of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa.

“The fact that fertiliser issue has not been discussed even once in the on going session speaks volumes on the pro-farmer attitude of the BJP”, he chided. Predicting that the BJP government in the state could not ensure welfare of the agrarian community, Sriramareddy said that fertiliser production had come down as the BJP, while in power at the Union withdrew subsidy to fertilisers. 

Farmers’ suicide continue unabated due to negligence of the government. Home minister was even unaware of death of a farmer in  police firing and this itself testifies to the performance of the government.

Farmers’ leader S Lakshmaiah said that successive governments had overlooked the incessant plea to implement a irrigation project permanently addressing the water shortage in the district. Any government lacking political will power can not ensure welfare of agrarian community, he said.

The farmers also demanded scrupulous implementation of NREG scheme, broaden the eligibility criteria of Union’s loan waiver scheme and payment of sugarcane price to farmers who had supplied the produce to Siraguppa sugar factory in the town. Raitha Sangha leaders Gangidreddy, D C Srinivasa, C D Gangulappa and others were present.