Farmers' stir demanding Mahadayi notification

Farmers from the North Karnataka region, under the aegis of Karnataka Raitha Sene, continued their protest for the second day at Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station on Friday.

They arrived in the city to submit a petition to the Governor urging issuance of notification of the Mahadayi project, which will help thousands of farmers.

The protesting farmers were taken to Raj Bhavan by police. However, a Governor’s representative was sent to meet them and receive their petition.

“Permission was again denied today for meeting the Governor to submit our petition. Even though the Raj Bhavan agreed to send a Governor’s representative to receive the farmers’ pleas, we rejected the proposal insisting for an appointment with the Governor,” farmers’ leader Veeresh Sobaradmath said.

As appointment with the Governor was denied again, Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao promised the protesters that he would try for an appointment the next day. Accordingly, the protesters announced that they would continue the demonstrations braving chill and sporadic showers in Bengaluru.

“We are hoping to meet the Governor on Saturday, failing which we will continue our protest,” Sobaradhmath said, adding that they were forced to protest at the state capital as repeated petitions to all others had been of little help.

Siding with the agitating farmers, the Opposition Congress attacked Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who reportedly told a rally in Maharashtra recently that Karnataka will release water to it. “It’s wrong on the chief minister’s part to have said this just because there’s an election,” Congress leader V R Sudarshan said.