Bandh call for farm loan waiver has little impact

Normal life not affected across State, vehicles ply

May 28, 2018 02:39 pm | Updated 05:18 pm IST - Karnataka Bureau

BJP activists being taken into police custody at SVP Circle in Kalaburagi on Monday.

BJP activists being taken into police custody at SVP Circle in Kalaburagi on Monday.

The Karnataka ‘bandh’ on Monday seeking farm loan waiver, which the BJP supported, did not make much impact.

The impact was minimal in Belagavi. Buses and private vehicles plied as usual. Schools, colleges, and offices remained open. BJP workers tried to close shops forcibly in some of the old city areas of Belagavi on Monday.

Party activists in small groups went around with sticks and asked shop owners to down shutters in Bendi Bazar, Pangul Galli, Kangral Galli, Kamat Galli and surrounding areas. Some obliged while some others called the police.

In some areas, police stopped the protesters. In some places the protesters got into heated arguments with the police. Police arrested one of the protesters who tried to bang on the shop’s front door with a stick.

Later, at the Rani Channamma Circle, BJP leaders formed a human chain and blocked the road for a few minutes. They shouted slogans against Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy for “betraying the farmers of the State by going back on his promise of farm loan waiver’’. They said that Mr. Kumaraswamy had been lying all through his poll campaign about waiving all farm loans, even those taken from nationalised banks, only to express helplessness later. They demanded that he resign if he failed to keep his promise.

Police arrested the protesters including MLAs Abhay Patil and Anil Benake and released them later.

Some jostling in Koppal

In Koppal, MP Karadi Sanganna and the Deputy Superintendent of Police reportedly jostled against each other. The incident occurred when Mr. Sanganna, along with his supporters, stormed the Koppal town police station to protest against police seizing a public address system-fitted autorickshaw used by the BJP for seeking support for the bandh.

Police said that no prior permission had been sought for using the autorickshaw. However, BJP activists claimed that prior intimation had been made and stormed the police station. This was followed by a heated argument. Later, the police managed to send the BJP workers away.

The general response to the bandh call was very poor with normal life remaining unaffected.

Bike rally in Ballari

In Ballari, BJP workers led by Ballari city MLA G. Somashekar Reddy took out a bike rally in the main streets demanding announcement of loan waiver.

The BJP workers also forced closure of the main gates of NEKRTC bus depot and a few shops in the busy Gadagi Chennappa Circle before burning tyres to register their protest against the ‘failure’ of the Chief Minister in announcing the waiver. They also prevented an APSRTC bus from heading towards the bus-stand.

Life normal in Dakshina Kannada

The city and outstation buses operated normally and shops and business establishments functioned as usual in Mangaluru and other parts of Dakshina Kannada on Monday.

The district unit of BJP had expressed its support for voluntary closure of shops and business establishments.

While making arrangements to prevent any law and order problem, the police had cautioned activists of action if there was any attempt to force closure of shops and business establishments.

Buses forced to stop in Chikkamagaluru

In Chikkamagaluru, BJP workers were seen forcing the KSRTC staff to stop buses. The protesters who gathered at Hanumanthappa Circle threatened the staff that they would throw stones at the vehicles if the services were not stopped in support of the bandh.

MLA’s threat in Yadgir

“ Shut up..! I am a MLA asking you to go out,” BJP MLA Venkatareddy Mudnal to customer. A video captured in a mobile phone shows Mr. Mudnal allegedly threatening an elderly customer, who is having breakfast in a hotel, in Yadgir on Monday.

There was a long conversation between the MLA and customer. At one stage, losing patience, Mr. Mudnal told the customer “Shut up!. just go out, as I am the MLA asking you to do so.”

When contacted later, Mr. Mudnal denied allegations of forceful eviction of customers and said that he only requested the hotel management to close and asked the customers to move from the hotel. He maintained that he introduced himself as MLA when an elderly customer sought his identity.

Though the BJP claimed that it did not call for the bandh, in many places in the city, the BJP supporters engaged in closing business establishments and shops forcefully.

Iada Martin Marbaniang, Superintendent of Police, told The Hindu that he would go through the video and take action if there is a move to evict customers forcefully.

No support in Kolar

The bandh call evoked poor response in Kolar district, except for some protests staged by BJP functionaries.

Police took around 10 BJP functionaries into custody when they tried to prevent movement of vehicles at the KSRTC Bus-Stand Circle.

Vehicular movement was disrupted for some time in the area following the protest. The activists engaged in argument with police personnel. BJP Yuva Morcha State unit vice-president Chalapathy led the protest.

Schools, government offices, banks and other offices functioned as usual.

In Chickballapur district also, the bandh call received lukewarm response. At Chintamani, BJP activists staged a protest in front of the taluk office and submitted a memorandum in support of their demand.

Another normal day in Kalaburagi

For people in Kalaburagi district, Monday was another normal day. Shops, trading outlets at APMC yards, cinema halls, petrol stations, government and private offices, petrol stations, educational institutions, banks and other business establishments functioned as usual. Public transport system remained unaffected with buses operated by North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation and autos playing as usual.

Despite warnings issued by Superintendent of Police N. Shashikumar, a day before in view of the model code of conduct enforced for Legislative Council election of North-East Graduates’ constituency, local BJP leaders and elected representatives along with their supporters attempted to stage demonstrations at SVP Circle and Nagareshwar School.

Speaking at the agitation in SVP Circle, Dattatreya Patil Revoor, MLA of Gulbarga South, declared that his party would not let the JD(S)-Congress alliance government in the State function as long as farm loans borrowed from nationalised banks were not waived as promised by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy during his poll campaign.

“He [Mr. Kumarswamy] had promised to the people of the State that he would waive farm loans within 24 hours of assuming power as Chief Minister. Now, he is making U-turn on the pretext that he did not have a clear mandate. We will continue to protest inside and outside Vidhana Soudha till he fulfils his pre-poll promise. We will not allow the coalition government to run smoothly unless the farm waiver demand is met,” he said.

Shashil G. Namoshi, another party leader and former MLC, declared that his party would intensify its State-wide agitation with the slogan “waive farm loans or step down from Chief Minister’s chair”.

Another team led by B.G. Patil and Chandrakanth Patil staged a demonstration near Nagareshwar School near APMC yard. They raised slogans against the Chief Minister and his government for “making a U-turn” on farm loan waiver promise.

The police, however, detained both the teams and later released them.

Taluk headquarters saw scattered agitations by BJP activists. Though BJP leaders maintained that the bandh call was given by farmers and supported by the party, only BJP activists were found participating in the agitations.

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