A veiled tension started building up here on Monday morning on the very first day of winter session of the State legislature just when Ministers and legislators started entering the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha (venue of the 10-day winter session). Members of various farmers organisations led by Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha staged a demonstration in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office before proceeding to the Vidhana Soudha.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who arrived in the morning, held a meeting with the Ministers at Circuit House before heading to the Soudha to chalk out strategy to counter the Opposition, which has planned to take on the ruling Congress demanding resignation of Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Tanvir Sait on the issue of viewing objectionable materials on his cellphone.
A large number of police personnel maintained vigil on the agitating organisations, which had planned take out processions and stage demonstrations in the city and in front of the SVS, 10 km from the city, even as the police started arresting farmers from different districts while on their way to Belagavi.
Kuruburu Shanthkumar, President of Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers Association, who led a procession to SVS from Sangolli Rayanna Circle, said around 150 farmers from Mysuru were arrested at K.R. Nagar Railway Station and another 10 in Jamkhandi of Bagalkot taluk in the morning.
KRRS, KSSGA, Bharatiya Krishik Samaj (Samyukta) and other farmers’ organisations are demanding waiver of entire crop loans, payment of outstanding sugarcane price dues to the growers and fixation of sugarcane price for the current crushing year 2016-17.
Mahadayi
A major demand of the farmers is early out-of-court solution to the Mahadayi dispute between Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra to meet the drinking water and irrigational needs of the people of four districts of North Karnataka viz. Belagavi, Dharwad, Bagalkot and Gadag.
Shelter
Meanwhile, several other organisations including the Bhoomi Mattu Vasati Hakku Vanchitara Horatara Samithi launched a dharna under the leadership of veteran freedom fighter H.S. Doreswamy demanding housing and regularisation of bagair hukum lands to the farmers who had been cultivating lands in the fringe areas of the forests since several decades. Leaders and activists of several organisations, including Karnataka Raitha Sangha, Karnataka Janashakti, Bharatiya Krishik Samaja (Samyukta), Karnataka Dalit Sangarsh Samithi, Karnataka Rajya Raith Sangh, Janasangram Parishat, Aranyamula Budakattu Samudayagala Okkuta, Grameen Kulikarmikara Sanghatane and Dalit-Damanitara Swabhimani Horata Samithi joined the protest.
The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) planned to organise a parallel Marathi People’s Session described as “Maha Melava” on the vaccine institute premises in Tilakwadi on the other side of the city to oppose the State government conducting legislature sessions in Belagavi city, even as the question of Belagavi was before the Supreme Court. A large number of police personnel have kept watch on the happenings at the MES venue.
