Seeking to allay fears that the sugar mills may not implement the State Advisory Price (SAP) of Rs. 2,500 a tonne for sugarcane, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday assured both Houses of the State legislature that he would initiate strict legal action against the sugar mills that fail to stick to the norm.
He also announced that he would take an all-party delegation of leaders to Delhi after the session to seek assistance from the Centre to bail out growers of various crops, including sugarcane, who are in financial distress due to price instability. Making a reply in the Assembly on the suicide of a sugarcane grower in front of the Suvarna Soudha on Wednesday, Mr. Siddaramaiah said a magisterial inquiry would be conducted into the suicide.
He denied the BJP charge that the government was responsible for the farmer’s death. On the KJP leader B.S. Yeddyurappa’s demand that he step down owning moral responsibility for the incident, the Chief Minister pointed out that two farmers had died in a police firing when he [Mr. Yeddyurappa] was Chief Minister and wondered why the KJP leader didn’t resign then. He also pointed out that more than 350 farmers had ended their lives when Mr. Yeddyurappa was Chief Minister and cases were booked against hundreds of farmers then for participating in protests.
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However, both the BJP and the KJP staged a walkout expressing dissatisfaction over the reply, while the Janata Dal (S) preferred to participate in the proceedings. Earlier, the Assembly had to be adjourned thrice as the BJP and the KJP members stalled the proceedings.