BJP leaders, farmers detained during march to Suvarna Vidhana Soudha

'Internal conflicts in the ruling Congress have resulted in policy paralysis, preventing the Siddaramaiah-led government from addressing farmers’ concerns'

Several protesters, including Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra, were detained on Tuesday as they, along with a large number of farmers, marched towards the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi to protest against "anti-farmer policies" of the Congress government.

The protesters were led by Vijayendra, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R Ashoka, and Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, besides several MLAs, MLCs and other senior party leaders.

The 10-day winter session of the Karnataka legislature is underway at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha.

BJP leaders and farmers began marching from Malini City Grounds towards the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha amid heavy police deployment. They were later detained and taken away in police vans.

The protesters raised slogans accusing the Congress government of "ignoring the problems being faced by farmers".

Party leaders said the protest was organised to highlight what they described as the government’s failures on key issues affecting the State.

Earlier in the day, Vijayendra alleged that internal conflicts within the ruling Congress had resulted in "policy paralysis", preventing the Siddaramaiah-led government from addressing farmers’ concerns.

"There is absolutely no development in Karnataka...," he said. "For the last couple of months, the Congress government has been busy with internal fighting. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is busy saving his chair. [Deputy Chief Minister] D K Shivakumar is in a hurry to become the Chief Minister. Because of this, the entire Cabinet keeps camping in Delhi. As a result, farmers' issues are not being addressed by the government. We demand that the farmers who are already in distress be rescued by the State government."

He also criticised the Chief Minister for "conveniently" reminding the BJP and the Centre of their obligations while ignoring the State government’s own responsibilities.

"Fixing the FRP (Fair and Remunerative Price) is the Centre’s responsibility, but nothing stops the State from announcing a price above the FRP. Karnataka, the third-largest sugarcane producer, earns more than Rs 35,000 crore in revenue every year. But when farmers were protesting, the government decided to give only Rs 50 per tonne," he said, according to PTI.

He alleged that the demands of maize growers had also not been met.

On November 6, as farmer agitation intensified in north Karnataka with a demand for Rs 3,500 per tonne for sugarcane, Siddaramaiah had clarified that the FRP is decided by the Centre, not the State.

Narayanaswamy too accused the government of neglecting farmers. "They have completely forgotten farmers’ issues. Lakhs of hectares of crops have been lost. Though compensation has been announced, not a single rupee has been disbursed. Farmers are now struggling for their lives. We want to support them," he said.

The BJP also accused the state government of failing to address the concerns of maize and sugarcane farmers, claiming maize growers have been demanding the opening of procurement centres, which the government has yet to do. They alleged that farmers are being forced to sell their produce to middlemen at distress prices.

'Discuss NK issues'

Reacting to the protest, Shivakumar said he would want BJP leaders to instead discuss issues concerning North Karnataka in the legislature.

"We want them to discuss about North Karnataka. We want them to discuss why the Central government is not helping farmers. There is a big crisis among farmers over sugarcane prices. The Karnataka government has supported them. The Central government is not doing anything... We want them to raise their voice against the Central government...," he said.

(With agency inputs)