BJP, JDS members stage walk out over cane growers issue

BJP and JDS members today staged a walkout from the Karnataka Assembly over state government's alleged failure to ensure payment of Rs 2,500 per tonne to cane growers with immediate effect.

Raising the issue, Opposition BJP Leader Jagadish Shettar alleged that the government has failed to commit itself to pay Rs 2,500 per tonne to sugarcane growers and charged that it was in favour of sugar lobby.

Dubbing the government "anti-farmers", he said it has been talking about taking action against mill owners but in reality nothing had happened.

JDS Floor Leader H D Kumaraswamy asked the government to pay farmers first and recover the amount later from sugar factories.

Denying Shettar's charges, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said sugar mills will be made to pay Rs 2300 per tonne to cane growers by December end and the balance of Rs 200 after March.

"The government will also make efforts to pay an additional amount of Rs 200 per tonne to the farmers by the mills in two instalments by next March end," he said.
Refuting the charge that the government was pro sugar lobby, he said they are for farmers and would give the fixed price for their sugarcane produce as promised.
Not satisfied with Siddaramaiah's reply, both JDS and BJP members staged a walkout.