Former home minister and BJP MLA from Thirthahalli, Araga Jnanendra warned that any attempt to implement the Kasturirangan report in its present form could lead to a serious unrest, as it will affect the livelihoods of farmers, who have shaped their lives and agricultural practices in the Western Ghats for over centuries.
“If the report is implemented, there will be bloodshed,” he stated in the Assembly. He cited anxious farmers and other stakeholders gathering in large numbers at meetings convened by the CM to discuss the report. He said BJP has been communicating its views to the Centre.
He suggested that Shivakumar and Forest Minister Ramalinga Reddy should convene a meeting with Sanjay Kumar, who headed the expert committee on the Western Ghats constituted in 2022 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to sort out the issue.
But he alleged that Congress is responsible for initiating the process that has now triggered concerns among people living in the Western Ghats.