The ‘Where were you sleeping?’ remark made by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, against a women sugarcane farmer leader, has triggered an angry reaction among farmers in Belagavi, on Monday. Condemning the CM's remark, farmers called a snap bundh at Beedi, in Khanapur taluk.
Instant support
The bandh gained instant support with traders voluntarily downing shutters. City commute vehicles largely remained off roads. The protesters strongly criticised police action against sugarcane farmers protesting in Bengaluru.
'Unbecoming of CM'
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had asked a woman farmer leader: "Where were you sleeping for four and half years?".
"Such a remark is unbecoming of a chief minister. We demand that CM Kumaraswamy must immediately and unconditionally apologise to the women of the state," farmers demanded.
A portrait of MLA Shrimant Patil was garlanded with footwear, at Ainapur in Kagwad Assembly constituency to express anger against the legislator. The farmers have also planned to hold a 12 km padayatra from Ainapur to the Athani Sugar Factory owned by the legislator.
Protest continues
The farmers continued to protest in various parts of the Belagavi district in support of various demands like fixing sugarcane prices and settlement of dues from sugar factories. Farmers' protests were reported in Rainapur village in Athani taluk, Suttatti village in Raibag taluk.
Addressing protesting farmers at Murugundi, in Athani taluk, former minister and Bharatiya Janata Party Raita Morcha state unit president Laxman Savadi strongly condemned Chief Minister Kumarswamy’s remarks.
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