Maneka Gandhi bats for Yeddyurappa

Plan to reward whistleblowers is first such instance in the country

“The Opposition parties are attacking Yeddyurappa. Don’t they know the facts?,” said the former Union Minister, who was here on her way to Haveri to participate in a dialogue on organic farming.

“Yeddyurappa is the first chief minister in the country to have declared a reward for information on land scams, and this shows his sense of morality,” Maneka Gandhi said.

The former Union Minister  called for a ban on the pesticide endosulphan as done by Kerala. She said the Union Government should formulate a clear policy to promote organic faming.

“The seed legislation proposed to be introduced by the Union Government is anti-farmer and we will raise voice against this legislation in Parliament. In the 1960s, organic farming was widespread in India but today, we are the largest users of urea in the world,” Maneka said. Complimenting the Karnataka Government on its efforts to raise awareness about organic farming, she said it could be a model for North India too. Energy Minister Shobha Karandlaje, Organic Farming Mission Chairman A S Anand, and others were present.