Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha president Maruti Manpade has alleged that Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa was misleading the bagair hukum cultivators by assuring them land by the end of this year. “No government can grant land until the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, which mandates at least 30 acres of land for 100 cattle, is amended. The government is misleading people by making the promise without taking steps necessary to amend the law”, he said in a press conference here on Wednesday.
More than 25 lakh people had applied for a grant of land under Form 50 and 53 of the Karnataka Land Reforms Act. Of them, more than 13 lakh applications were rejected and the government has said it would grant land to 4,59,936 applicants. “Still there are lakhs of people waiting for an opportunity to apply for a grant of land. The government should give them an opportunity to apply. And, the Minister should begin the process to amend the law to fulfil his promise,” he said.
Recently the State government observed former Chief Minister Devaraj Urs’ birth anniversary. “The meaningful celebration of Urs’ birth anniversary would be by granting land to the landless. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should take steps necessary immediately,” he said. Further, he said KPRS would launch a jail bharo (court arrest) movement in November if the government fails to fulfil the demand.
