The concluding day of the annual winter season of the State legislature was marked by an unusual happening with the farmers observing the day as "Punya tithi" (death anniversary) of the Congress government, even as they performed last rites by keeping the photograph of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and subsequently, withdrawing their 456 days long indefinite satyagraha here on Saturday.
Expressing their anger and frustration over the alleged failure of the government to solve any of their demands, which included waiver of crop loans, Rs. 3,000 per tonne for sugarcane for the current crushing session 2016-17, adequate compensation for crop loss due to prevailing drought, the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangh (Kodihalli Chandrasekhar) members deemed it fit to perform last rites for the government, which they alleged was "dead" for all practical reasons as far as farmers were concerned.
Also, there was growing unrest as the government in general and district administration in particular remained insensitive to their genuine demands and problems.
"So, what else should we do," asked KRRS state vice president Basavaraj Malalli.
Other protests
The session also witnessed protests by a total of 52 major organisations and trade unions to exert pressure on the government to concede their long-pending demands, many of which were common - housing for homeless, granting of ownership right to farmers cultivating forest lands on the principle of 'land to the tiller,' regularisation of services of contract workers/employees/Anganwadi workers in various departments, implementation of minimum wages and demands for abolishing exploitative contract system of employment, waiver of crop loans, payment of outstanding sugarcane price dues to the growers. Another common demand was early solution to the Mahadayi dispute by seeking Prime Minister's intervention.
One of the notable protests was the one led by 98-years-old freedom fighter H.S. Doreswamy in support of shelterless families and farmers demanding ownership right over the forest lands they had been cultivating for the past several decades. Another was demand by an individual, Mallikarjun Dhareppa Ganagi of Kemmanakol villagef of Gokak, for CID investigation into the alleged murder of his brother by the supporters of former minister and BJP MLA Balachandra L. Jarkiholi.
Concerned ministers and opposition leaders showed the courtesy by visiting the venue of the protests outside the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha to accept their memoranda and giving an assurance to place their demands before the government.
