JD(S) accused of conspiring to split Raitha Sangha

Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene president Badagalapura Nagendra accused the JD(S) of conspiring to disintegrate the farmers’ organisation.

Addressing a media conference here on Monday, he said, wherever the JD(S) has chances of winning the elections, the strong resistance is from the raitha sangha, so members of the family of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda are plotting to finish off the farmers’ movement.

Among many factions of the raitha sangha, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene is the one which was headed by the late K S Puttannaiah.

Nagendra is in the news, since a week, due to his appointment and an announcement by Pacche Nanjundaswamy, son of Raitha Sangha founder the late M D Nanjundaswamy, that he has been expelled.

Challenges Pacche

Nagendra challenged the expulsion by Pacche, and asked, “Who is Pacche to expel me? He is not even a primary member of raitha sangha. My suspicion is that Pacche, whom we respect and love, as he is the son of our leader Nanjundaswamy, has become a pawn in the hands of the JD(S) leaders.”

“The JD(S) has tried to snub the raitha sangha and has also unleashed police atrocity, whenever it was in power. At present also, we are opposing the unnecessary project of the Disneyland-like theme park and a huge Cauvery statue at KRS dam, in Srirangapatna taluk. Thus, the JD(S) leaders are trying to create confusion in the raitha sangha,” he said.

It has to be recalled that our earlier president K T Gangadhar also had deceived the state executive committee and had taken part in a meeting with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on November 20, 2018. When the executive committee resolved to oust him, he sought election of a new president, unable to face the executive committee,” Nagendra said.

Recalling that Pacche tried to assault him publicly on November 19, 2018, during a meeting of farmers in Bengaluru, Pacche had proposed to field Darshan Puttannaiah as a Congress candidate in the Assembly poll from Melkote constituency in Mandya district, following the death of K S Puttannaiah.

“Pacche, who declined to become even member of the raitha sangha for a long-time, tried to blackmail, by threatening to join the Congress, if he was not made vice president.

“His announcement to expel me is the height of insanity — uchatane (expulsion) is huchaata (insanity). His voice is similar to his father’s, but not his ideals. He is regularly murdering his father’s ideals,” Nagendra said.

“Unfortunately, the raitha sangha is not in a position to take any action against Pacche, as he is not even a primary member. However, the executive committee has resolved not to invite him for any of our meetings and programmes. Earlier, we used to invite him due to the reverence towards his father,” he said.