BELAGAVI: Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy may find it difficult to end the logjam over sugarcane farmer’s demands during his meeting with sugar mill owners on Thursday, as many of them express inability in clearing the dues due to the dire financial condition of the factories.
“The financial position of many factories is so bad that we don’t have any choice but to ask the CM to extend financial assistance to clear the pending dues of growers,” said MLA Shrimant Patil who runs Farmers Sugars, Athani.
While admitting that the two factories run by the Katti family in Hukkeri taluk of Belagavi district owed about `34 crore to the growers, seven-time MLA Umesh Katti said: “I will attend the CM’s meeting but it is not possible to immediately clear the pending dues of growers by Vishwa Sugars and Hira Sugars of Sankeshwar run by us. It’s a huge amount (Vishwa Sugars owes `22 crore while Hira Sugars owes `12 crore). Both the factories will need at least a year to clear the arrears.
Over 30,000 farmers who recently attended the factories’ general body meet have agreed to the factories’ appeal for at least a year’s time to clear their dues. There is no dispute between farmers and our factories with regard to payment of pending bills.”Stating that he will make his inability to pay the pending dues clear in Kumaraswamy’s meeting, Katti said the CM should come up with some alternatives to resolve the issue.
No let-up in agitation till CM is ousted, says Yeddyurappa
Bengaluru: Accusing Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy of insulting the agitating farmers by calling them ‘goondas’, BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa on Wednesday declared that there would be no let-up in the party’s agitation till Kumaraswamy steps down from the post. Yeddyurappa led the protest in Bengaluru to express solidarity with sugarcane farmers, who are demanding payment of arrears from sugar factories and Kumaraswamy government’s failure to deliver on its promise of farm loan waiver.
“Kumaraswamy, who has come to power with just 37 MLAs and support from Congress has no moral right to continue in his post. Our agitation will continue till the arrogant Chief Minister steps down,” Yeddyurappa declared. Yeddyurappa who led the protest at Mysore Bank Circle in the city exhorted BJP Women’s Wing members to stage daily protests all over the state against the chief minister. BJP is set to organise a massive farmers rally in Belagavi on December 10, the first day of the winter session of assembly, to protest against the state government’s failure in fulfilling demands of sugarcane growers and deliver on its loan waiver.