BENGALURU: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday termed the ongoing farmers’ stir against three farm laws passed by the Centre as a “sponsored protest”, and accused the Congress of “sponsoring” it. “Some people are working as foreign agents to instigate protests against the government,” the chief minister alleged.
While replying to Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah, who had raised the issue of price rise in the Assembly last week, Bommai said that close to 40 per cent of revenues collected through taxes from the sale of petrol and diesel comes to the state. “With this, we can procure more wheat, paddy, rice and moong dal, as compared to the UPA government.
We are helping farmers,’’ he said. Congress leaders, however, pointed out to the chief minister that farmers from Haryana and Punjab have been protesting for the last one year. That was when Bommai said that it was a sponsored protest. “Farmers are not protesting anywhere else in the country. All farmers across the country are happy with the farm laws. This is sponsored by Congress,’’ he alleged, triggering a protest from Congress members.
Though leaders from the opposition party blamed the chief minister for making such a statement, Bommai said, “I have been part of many farmer protests and I know how they feel. Farmers from Punjab and Haryana play MSP politics.
They were controlling the market and misleading the country. Before the Emergency, then Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi said all protests were because of the involvement of foreign hand. But now there is no foreign hand as all these people have turned into foreign agents.”
Farmer associations extend support to bandh
Meanwhile, farmer associations in the state have extended their support to the Bharat Bandh called on September 27 by Samyukta Kisan Horata Morcha.