President of Samaj Parviartana Samudaya and anti-graft crusader S.R. Hiremath has urged the electorate of Belagavi Lok Sabha Constituency and Maski and Basavakalyan Assembly constituencies to defeat the BJP in the bypolls as a reply to the anti-farmer and anti-people policies followed by the party.
Addressing presspersons in Dharwad on Wednesday, Mr. Hiremath said that despite the widespread protests and opposition, the BJP-led Union government was going ahead with the implementation of the anti-farmer and anti-constitutional policies.
He said that thousands of farmers were staging agitation for the last 90 days at borders of New Delhi seeking repeal of the contentious farm laws. However, the Union government had been apathetic towards the demands of the farmers and was bent on handing over the farm sector to the corporate houses, which was detrimental to Indian farmers, he said.
The other demand of the protesting farmers was the strict implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report which recommended minimum support price to all farm produce, including fruits and vegetables, he said.
Mr. Hiremath said that the third demand was to withdraw the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020 which promoted further privatisation of the energy sector.
He said that the Union government led by the BJP was the most insensitive and arrogant. Mr. Hiremath said that agriculture being a State subject, the Union government had no power to infringe upon the rights of the States in a State subject. The Union government led by Prime Minister Narendr Modi was bent on destroying the constitutional principles and also democratic institutions by sheer misuse of power, he said.
Mr. Hiremath said that in a democracy, the best weapon for the citizens was elections and people should make use of it to teach a lesson to the BJP in the byelections in the three constituencies.
