BELAGAVI: The Siddaramaiah government’s desperate bid to douse the raging sugarcane crisis on Thursday has come crashing down, with talks between senior ministers and striking farmers in Gurlapur, Mudalgi taluk, near Belagavi, ending in a deadlock.
The agitating farmers, demanding Rs 3,500 per tonne of cane, have vowed to intensify their stir, warning of national highway blockades, if the government fails to meet their demand by Friday evening.
Sugar Minister Shivanand Patil visited the protest site in Gurlapur late Thursday night and pleaded with the farmers to call off their proposed road blockade (on Friday). The ministers conveyed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s assurance that the issue would be resolved “once and for all” by Friday evening.
“I request you not to block roads tomorrow. The CM has sought just one day’s time to bring a permanent solution,” Patil urged the protesters.
But the appeal fell on deaf ears. The farmers, led by Chonappa Pujari, remained resolute, declaring that the movement would escalate dramatically if the CM failed to announce the Rs-3,500 rate by Friday evening. However, the farmers eventually agreed to hold the road blockades for a day.
“If our demand is ignored again, lakhs of farmers from across Karnataka will march to Belagavi. We are ready to end the protest the moment the government declares Rs 3,500 per tonne, but not before that,” said Pujari.
As the Gurlapur agitation entered its eighth day, Mudalgi town observed a total bandh on Thursday. The shutdown, supported by traders, business owners, and residents, paralysed normal life across Mudalgi, Gurlapur, Jamboti, and Gokak.
In a powerful show of dissent, protesters carried an effigy of the sugar minister in a 3-km procession from Kalmeshwar Circle to Gurlapur Cross, accusing the government of “betraying the backbone of the rural economy”. Even college students joined the demonstration, chanting slogans and waving placards in solidarity with the farmers.
Earlier, speaking to reporters in Belagavi, Patil said the CM would convene a crucial meeting of all sugar factory owners in Bengaluru on Friday. “The government is committed to supporting the farmers. There is no political pressure; we want a peaceful resolution. However, fixing the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) lies with the Centre,” he clarified.
Patil also took a swipe at Union minister Pralhad Joshi, saying, “He too hails from Karnataka, yet has not made any effort or statement on this burning issue.”
Adding to the government’s woes, the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) announced that it would call for a Belagavi bandh on Thursday, if the state failed to declare Rs 3,500 per tonne for sugarcane.