Raitha Sangha to take part in Farmer Martyrdom Day

Members of the Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene will participate in the 39th farmers’ martyrdom being planned at Gandhi Bhavana in Belagavi on July 27.

Hasiru Sene state secretary Ravikiran Punacha has said that 60 to 80 members from the district, taluk and zonal committees of the Raitha Sangha will take part.

Punacha, who addressed reporters at the Patrika Bhavan on Wednesday that the farmers will take out a rally from Kittur Rani Chennamma Circle from 11 am till the venue of the programme organised at Gandhi Bhavana. Pioneer of water movement in Rajasthan Rajendra Singh will be chief guest.

He also said that the occasion of Farmers’ Martyrdom Day will be used to discusses the problems of farmers in Karnataka.

“The state has been facing continuous drought for the past five years. In the coastal region, around 2,600 hectares of areca plantation was lost due to drought, resulting in a fall of 35% production in arecanut. The forest cover is depleting in the state year by year,” he pointed out.

He added that the coalition government’s failure to protect the welfare of farmers will be highlighted during the programme.

“The anti-farmer policies of the state and Central governments will be condemned. The farmers will also urge the governments to solve the confusion regarding loan waiver, to implement the recommendations of the M S Swaminathan report, to withdraw the land acquisition amendment act, to publish Mahadayi verdict in the gazette notification, to pay the arrears to sugarcane growers and to scrap the decision to handover the land to Jindal company,” Punacha listed out.

Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene Bantwal taluk president B Premanath Shetty, Sullia taluk committee president Lolajaksha Gowda Bhootakallu, district committee vice president Alwyn Menezes and Bantwal taluk committee general secretary Oswald Prakash Fernandes were present at the press meet.