Former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, in a series of tweets later, openly backed the bill.
Bengaluru:
Farmers in Karnataka on Wednesday continued their protest against the three agriculture laws passed by the Centre recently. Apart from the central laws, the agitating farmers were also protesting amendments to the state’s land laws cleared today by the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, which make it easier for non-agriculturalists to buy land from farmers. While the Janata Dal Secular backed the ruling BJP in the legislature, the Congress opposed the amendments.
“We are against the 3 farm laws. (Chief Minister) Yediyurappa is including land reform bill also. HD Kumaraswamy is supporting it. We totally oppose them,” Kodihalli Chandrashekar, President, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, told NDTV.
Former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, in a series of tweets later, openly backed the bill.
“Opposition party is not there to merely oppose. It has to execute its responsibilities in a constructive manner. The Janata Dal Secular has treaded such a constructive path with respect to the amendments to Land Reforms Act by protecting the interests of farmers,” he wrote.
He also questioned his former ally, Congress leader Siddaramaiah’s “enigmatic silence” on the issue.
JDS MLC Boje Gowda supported his leader and said the bill will eliminate middlemen.
“They have brought this (Bill) because of the things going on in the metropolitan cities, district headquarters — to cut down brokers. It will not affect the villages. They have given assurance that change of land use will not be made. On the basis of that, partially we have agreed for the bill. Not fully,” he told NDTV.
BJP National General Secretary CT Ravi said there was nothing wrong with the bill. “That is why JDS supported it. The Congress is doing politics. Politics is separate from the issue of helping farmers,” he said.
The Congress has slammed the JDS for supporting the BJP and said the party has “shown its true colours.”
“We had never expected that JDS will join hands with the BJP. Now they have shown their true picture. They always say they are the son of the soil. But now they have shown their anti-farmer, anti-people thinking and policy. People have understood their true colours and will teach them a lesson,” Eshwar Khandre, Working President of the Karnataka Congress, said.
The Congress and JDS had formed a coalition government after the 2018 Assembly polls to keep the BJP, which was the single largest party, out of power. The coalition collapsed after several MLAs from both parties switched their loyalties to the BJP.
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, meanwhile, has appealed to farmers to end the protest. “I request the farmers’ leaders — yesterday you observed the Bharat Bandh; if you do this daily, there is the question of how right that is. Please cooperate with the government. Come and sit and let us talk,” he said.