Parties back farmers' protest against BMIC

 
Coming on a common platform, leaders from the Left parties, JD(U), TDP, Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal vowed to fight for Karnataka farmers’ cause both inside and outside Parliament.

Around 1,500 farmers who came from Karnataka, including those affected by the Expressway project, staged a day long protest on Parliament Street alleging that the Yeddyurappa-led BJP government was indulging in real estate scam by sanctioning large tracts of land to the BMIC project.

CPI (M) General Secretary Prakash Karat, CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan, CPI Secretary D Raja, Rashtriya Lok Dal supremo Ajit Singh, JD(U) president Sharad Yadav, SP Parliamentary party leader Brij Bhushan Tiwari and TDP leader Yerran Naidu addressed the gathering.

Karat said he was aware that thousands of acres of farmers’ land was being acquired by the company and the BJP government of the State “completely” supports the project and the company.

Leaders urged the Centre to bring new land acquisition policy by scrapping the present one to protect the interest of farmers.

A 16-member delegation of Karnataka farmers also met President Pratibha Patil and submitted a memorandum.

Meanwhile, another contingent of farmers from Karnataka under the umbrella of Karnataka Raita Sangha also staged a protest at Jantar Mantar on the same issue.
Countering Deve Gowda’s allegation, Dhananjaya Kumar, Special Representative to Karnataka Government to Delhi Affairs, said Gowda’s allegation was politically motivated.