BENGALURU: The Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Aikya Horata Samithi on Tuesday have called for a Karnataka bandh on Friday (September 25) against the Farm Bills and said that over 50 organisations have extended their support.This comes in the backdrop of the ongoing sit-in protest by farmers in Bengaluru since Monday against the passage of the Centre’s ‘contentious’ farm bills in Parliament and the state’s Land Reforms Amendment Act which was tabled in the Assembly on Tuesday.
The protests will continue till Saturday when the monsoon session of the Karnataka Legislature will end.
Dalit organisations, labour unions, private taxi owners’ association, lorry owners association and auto unions in Bengaluru have come in their support and backed the bandh call. Speaking to the media, the farmer leaders said the bandh was a stern warning to the Central and State governments. They claimed that the Karnataka Truck Owners Association confirmed their support and trucks won’t ply on the bandh day. All national highways and state highways will remain closed. They said auto rickshaws and cabs will be off the roads.
“Since the government is not taking it seriously, we want the larger public, trade unions, opposition parties and other labour unions to support us in our fight,” said one of the farmer leaders. On Tuesday, Opposition leader Siddaramaiah and Congress State chief D K Shivakumar, JDS leaders H D Revanna and Basavaraj Horatti visited Freedom Park where the farmers are on a protest to extend their support.G C Byyareddy, convener, All India Kisan Co-ordination Committee, said, “The farmers have been asked to close all highways across the state on September 25 and a huge protest will be held at Mysuru Bank Circle in Bengaluru. Students, workers’ unions and dalits are participating.”
V Gayatri, core comittee member of Aikya Horata Samithi, said that “the protest is not motivated by any political party and 29 organisations including dalit and women units are protesting against the bills.” While the bills, which the Central government claims will help small and marginal farmers get competitive prices for their produce, the Karnataka government’s Land Reforms Amendment Act allows non-agriculturists to purchase agriculture lands and the APMC Act amendment allows private players to directly purchase produce from farmers. Both have been attacked by farmers and opposition leaders as “anti-farmer” and “anti-worker”.
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