Warming up for an aggressive confrontation with the government at the Assembly session in Belagavi on sugarcane farmers’ woes, the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to take out a 20-km padayatra from Badala Ankalagi village — where a sugarcane farmer recently committed suicide — to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha on the eve of the commencement of the session.
This is a clear indication that the 10-day monsoon session in Belagavi will be stormy, as already the other Opposition party, the Janata Dal (S), has announced its decision to take out a padayatra, led by its leader H.D. Kumaraswamy from Dharwad to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha.
The BJP’s padayatra was finalised at a meeting of its legislators, MPs and State office-bearers held at a resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru on Friday, under the leadership of party national general secretary and State in-charge Muralidhar Rao. Briefing reporters, BJP State general secretary C.T. Ravi said the padayatra will be taken out on June 28 and will be attended by party top leaders, besides all its legislators. He said it was decided to take up various issues, including non-payment of dues towards farmers by sugar factories, and demand the resignation of Minor Irrigation Minister Shivaraj S. Thangadagi for the murder of a student allegedly by his supporters. The party will commence Statewide protests seeking Mr. Thangadagi’s resignation from June 22, he said.
ADVERTISEMENT