JOIN USSugar cane issue: BJP to take out 20-km padayatra
State BJP leaders are bracing up to take on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the legislature session to be held in Belgavai from June 29. Now, they have many issues including payment to sugar cane growers, to confront the government.
On June 28, the eve of the session in Suvarna Vikasa Soudha, the BJP functionaries, mainly legislators would take out a 20-km padayatra to highlight the plight of sugar cane farmers due to ‘failure’ of the State government in getting dues of farmers cleared by factory owners.
The party has chosen strategically Badala Ankalagi, the native village of sugar cane farmer Gurunath Malappa, who committed suicide reportedly due to financial distress. The incident happened on June 8 this year.
Meeting at a resort
Party legislators, office bearers and functionaries will take part in the padayatra which will culminate in front of Suvarna Vikasa Soudha. A decision to take out the padayatra was taken at a day-long BJP legislature party meeting at a resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru on Friday.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, BJP State General Secretary C T Ravi said the government has succumbed to pressure from sugar cane factory owners and had not done anything to get farmers their dues totalling around Rs 4,500 crore.
BJP’s padayatra comes close on the heels of four-day padayatra announced by the JD(S) from Hubballi to Belagavi on the same issue.
Pressure on Tangadagi
Various morchas of the party will hold protest in Koppal seeking the resignation of Minor Irrigation Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi for his reported association with the murder of Yallalinga Kuruba, a student from Kanakaapura village in Kanakagiri assembly constituencies between June 22 and June 24.
State-wide agitations
Agitations will be held State-wide on June 27 if no action is taken against the minister. Non-release of subsidy for Ashraya houses, blocking and cancelling of 27 lakh ration cards and withdrawal of criminal cases filed against members of Karnataka Forum for Dignity and Popular Front of India were discussed at the meeting.
The meeting also decided to hold awareness camps to help people enrol with the central government’s social security schemes. The State unit of the party will act as a “facilitator” to take the schemes to the people, Ravi said.
Amit Shah coming on July 5
The BJP’s South India convention of party office bearers and elected representatives will be held in Bengaluru on July 5.
BJP National President Amit Shah will inaugurate the convention, party state General Secretary C T Ravi told reporters in Bengaluru. Organisational issues including the party’s contact programme with newly enrolled members will be discussed at the convention.