BENGALURU: Thousands of farmers, especially sugarcane growers, have gathered at the Freedom Park in Bengaluru in protest against the Government demanding dues running into crores of rupees from sugar factories as well as other demands like the implementation of the farm loan waiver scheme and ensuring minimum support price for sugarcane.
CM Kumaraswamy at noon agreed to meet the agitating farmer leaders at 12:30 pm tomorrow in the conference hall of the Vidhana Soudha. Sugar mill owners and other stakeholders too have been called,
The farmers had earlier today given the CM a 2-hour deadline to come and meet them for talks.
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Farmers at the venue also expressed their anger at Kumaraswamy for his reaction earlier on Sunday where he had reacted to a protest in Belagavi by terming the protestors as 'goondas'. Now the farmers are threatening to lay siege to the Vidhan Soudha. While the Chief Minister is yet to arrive at the venue and meet the farmers, Co-operation minister Bandeppa Kashempur has arrived at Freedom Park to hold talks.
HD Kumaraswamy in a statement on Monday morning expressed regrets over his earlier statement but refused to apologise for it. "I was greatly pained by the criticism heaped on me during the Belagavi protests. My statement had no ill intentions. It is unfortunate that it was taken out of context," a statement from CMO said.
Thousands of farmers have been demanding dues that are pending from sugar factories for four years now. Meanwhile, the BJP has decided to take up the matter and discuss it in the core committee meeting that has been called for on Tuesday.