Karnataka   

Campaign against farm land acquisition

BANGALORE: In a move to exert pressure on political parties in the Assembly election, farmers across the State, who stand to lose their lands to “development-oriented projects” such as Special Economic Zones and integrated townships, will demand that all candidates filing their nomination papers sign a declaration that they will not support processes of farm land acquisition.

The decision was taken on Tuesday at the end of an open discussion held by the new Karnataka Bhoo Swadeena Horata Samithi, a congregation of 12 farmers-led organisations fighting land acquisition in their respective areas.

“We have decided to demand that they sign a statement that when elected they will put an end to land acquisition and that they will stand up for our rights in the Assembly. The statement will also include a clause that they will resign from their seat if they fail to support our cause,” said R.V. Chandrashekar, convenor of the samithi.

Simultaneously, the samithi will hold campaigns in the form of street plays, cultural programmes and put up posters to drive the message home that farm land acquisition must be protested against. The campaigns, to be conducted throughout the State, are likely to begin on April 25.

According to the samithi, nine lakh acres of farm land has either been acquired or in the process of being taken over. This will affect adversely 12 lakh people dependent on agriculture in 900 villages. “There is no scientific method of awarding compensation to farmers even though so much land is being acquired,” said Allama Prabhu Betteduru, a progressive thinker from Kolar.

Also speaking on the occasion, G. Ramakrishna, editor of Hosatu magazine, sought to draw a contrast between the present processes of acquiring farm land to the land redistribution movement after Independence.

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