Karnataka   

Chief Minister could have averted Haveri incident: CPI leader

DAVANGERE: The Communist Party of India (CPI) leader H.K. Ramachandrappa and general secretary of the State unit of the Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sangha M. Gopal have said that the Haveri firing incident, which resulted in the death of a farmer, could have been averted had Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa ensured that fertilizers were procured from the Centre or neighbouring states immediately after assuming charge.

Speaking to The Hindu here on Thursday, they said that Mr. Yeddyurappa had wasted time in visiting the homes of former Chief Ministers and temples after assuming charge, forgetting the interests of the farmers.

He should have taken an all-party delegation to Delhi to urge the Union Government to release more fertilizers to the State. Had he taken such a mature stand, he could have averted the protests by farmers all over the State, they said.

The two leaders, who visited the home of the deceased farmer in Haveri on Thursday, said that whenever there was scarcity of power, the State would buy it from neighbouring States. Similarly, the State could have obtained fertilizers from Goa, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala where there was no fertilizer scarcity.

Mr. Ramachandrappa said that he had spoken to many people in Haveri and failed to understand what prompted the police to open fire on the protesting farmers. “The police did not use other methods like caning or lobbing teargas shells,” he said.

Mr. Ramachandrappa claimed that the police had not obtained prior permission from the Sub-Divisional Magistrate before firing at the farmers and demanded an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the incident.

The two leaders urged the Chief Minister to instruct the police not to arrest or harass farmers by branding them anti-social elements. Cases booked against the farmers should be withdrawn, they said.

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