Karnataka Congress government stifles farmer protest

Many farmers were also taken into custody in Mysuru and a few other districts to prevent them from staging protests.

Hyderabad: Dasara began with the harsh knocking by police personnel of the doors of multiple farmers union leaders in Karnataka, as the Congress government attempted to stifle the raging protest of the farming community against the State’s failure in ensuring adequate power supply to the agriculture sector. Several leaders and members of the Karnataka Farmers Associations Federation were early arrested on Tuesday as they had called for a Sadak Bandh protest across the State on October 24.

Many farmers were also taken into custody in Mysuru and a few other districts to prevent them from staging protests. Federation president K Shantha Kumar told Telangana Today that the Congress government had promised to supply 10 hours of quality power to agriculture sector. Soon after the elections, farmers were betrayed and power was being supplied for only one to two hours, resulting in loss of standing crops, he said.

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Farmers in over 235 taluks have reported losses. It has been two months, but the State government has not initiated any steps for announcing compensation or relief measures for farming community, Shantha Kumar said, adding that this had provoked the farmers to take to the streets in protest.

However, with Tuesday’s arrests and detentions, farmers are more furious that the Congress government was not permitting them even to stage protests. A representation was submitted to the State government over the hardships being faced by the farming community, besides making an appeal to initiate measures to address the issues. Now, farmers are not being permitted to stage protests by the police, Shantha Kumar said.

“Police said they would release those detained later in the day but we will surrender before the Magistrate and raise the farmers’ issue. We will not go home,” he said.
Farmers in many districts were raising slogans against the State government for failing to supply quality power to agriculture sector. A farmer Basappa from Bidar was heard saying on social media that even the couple of hours that power was available, it was being supplied in shifts. It was risky to visit the fields at nights and there was every danger of snake bites, he said.

Karnataka farmers warn TS farmers against Congress

Even as protests against the Congress government are raging in Karnataka, farmers from the neighbouring State took out a protest rally at the old bus stand in Jogulamba Gadwal district of Telangana on Tuesday, appealing to farmers here not to vote for the Congress in the ensuing elections. Holding placards, they raised slogans against the Karnataka government.

Karnataka Kalyana Rythu Sangham Raichur, Gulbarga and Yadgir districts unit president Dharma Reddy said the Congress government had betrayed farmers in Karnataka. Ever since the Congress came to power, power was being supplied for only a couple of hours.

“We want to appeal to Telangana farmers not to vote for the Congress and get betrayed. We have specifically come here to share our problems with Telangana farmers and alert them,” Dharma Reddy said.