JD(S) legislators, workers to join Gowda in hunger strike

JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy has said that the party legislators would join the indefinite hunger protest to be launched by Member of Parliament H D Deve Gowda at Jantar Mantar in Delhi from Monday.

The former prime minister had announced on Saturday that he would go on indefinite hunger strike from Monday protesting Lok Sabha speaker’s decision to turn down his plea for a debate on the agrarian crisis in the House.

 He said that the speaker had not replied to his request for an opportunity to speak on farmers’ plight.

Former chief minister Kumaraswamy told reporters here on Sunday that the JD(S) leaders and workers would go on hunger strike at district headquarters, condemning Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh’s remarks that dowry, love affairs and impotency are some of the reasons behind farmer suicides. By saying so, the minister has humiliated farmers, Kumaraswamy added.

The former chief minister said the party would like to educate farmers that ending life is not the solution for the problems they are confronting. Financial institutions should waive interest and compound interest they have levied on the loans raised by farmers. For a government, which has presented a budget of Rs 1.40 lakh crore, it may not be difficult to absorb the interest on farm loans, he added.

Co-operative banks and national banks have been issuing notices to farmers even now. Therefore, it becomes the responsibility of the government to waive interest and instill confidence among farmers, he added.

Kumaraswamy said that the State government has allowed gambling centres to thrive. Farmers are getting into gambling and losing money. “One such club has come up next to a school in Hoskere in my constituency. A woman called me to say her husband is addicted to playing cards and has lost about Rs 1.5 crore. Such illegal business centres should be closed,” he said.