Karnataka farmers demand dropping anti-farmer amendments, to launch overnight protest in Bengaluru

Thousands of farmers descended to Bengaluru on Monday morning protesting against the state government's proposed amendment to the Land Reforms Act, Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act and Electricity Act in the ongoing monsoon session of the state legislature. Taking out a massive protest rally from Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station to Vidhana Soudha, the farmers were stopped near Freedom Park by the police.

Venting their ire against the state government and its anti-farmer policies, thousands of farmers sat on Sheshadri Road shouting slogans against the state government. The farmers will stage protest day and night till the completion of the state legislature's monsoon session. Addressing the farmers, Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha State President Kodihalli Chandrashekhar said that they will fight day and night till the government drops amendments to the Acts.

“Both the state and central government are taking anti-agriculture and anti-farmer policies and we will continue our protest against such decisions,” he said. Adding further he reacted, “The proposed amendments at the behest of various corporate and multi-national companies will spell doom for the agrarian sector and farm community. Farmers will be deprived of their land and right for better price for their agricultural commodities. We appeal to the governments to drop these amendments in the interest of the farming community.”

The All Karnataka Sugarcane Growers Association headed by Kurubur Shanthakumar has also participated in the protest rally. Chandrashekhar cautioned that all these years the successive governments kept assuring the farming community. “We will not go back with assurances this time and will not move away till our demands are met,” he said.