The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Congress plans to draw the attention of the Chief Minister to farmers’ suicide

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Friday, Jun 20, 2008
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Karnataka - Bangalore

Congress plans to draw the attention of the Chief Minister to farmers’ suicide

Special Correspondent

We are considering intensifying agitation to bring pressure on the Government: Kharge

Congress Legislature Party meeting on June 22
Party seeks steps to mitigate fertilizer shortage

M. Mallikarjun Kharge

BANGALORE: The Congress, which had launched an agitation in the district headquarters against the police firing on farmers in Haveri demanding supply of fertilizer and seeds for starting sowing operations, is seriously considering intensifying it to bring pressure to bear on the Government for taking immediate steps to mitigate the fertilizer shortage.

Speaking to reporters, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly M. Mallikarjun Kharge said that the issue would be discussed at the Congress Legislature Party meeting on June 22. A strategy would be worked out for raising the issue in the legislature session the next day to draw the attention of the Chief Minister.

Mr. Kharge, who returned from a visit to Davangere where he presented a cheque for Rs. 1 lakh to the family members of the deceased farmer, said that he was going to Chincholi taluk of Gulbarga district on Friday to meet the family of Veerashetty Basappa Polakapalli who committed suicide on Wednesday as he could not get fertilizer.

He said that Agriculture Minister S.A. Ravindranath and the department officials had failed to understand the situation and were making irresponsible statements. He said that some parts of the State such as Hyderabad Karnataka region had not received rain. How could the Government supply seeds and fertilizer if it was unable to meet the demand now? he asked.

Warning the Government of dire consequences if it failed to meet the genuine demand of farmers, Mr. Kharge said that the Congress would seriously view and intensify the agitation. He urged the Government to regularise the land of farmers who committed suicide and pay a compensation of Rs. 1 lakh to his family members without delay.

Appealing to farmers, Mr. Kharge counselled them to courageously face the challenge and get their due from the Government through agitation and not commit suicide leaving their family members in the lurch. Such an attitude was not good for either the nation or the State, he added.

Alliance

Mr. Kharge, who was accompanied by V.S. Ugrappa, MLC, and S.T. Somasekhar, chairman of the Karnataka State Cooperative Housing Federation, said that there was no question of striking a permanent alliance with the Janata Dal (S) and what the two parties did in the recent Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council elections was only a “normal adjustment” among the Opposition parties.

Such adjustments had been approved by the High Command when the former Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, and B.K. Hariprasad were elected to the Rajya Sabha and Rani Satish to the Legislative Council.

He said that the former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, was the sole leader of the Janata Dal (S) both at the national and State level and he was free to take any decision of his choice and the Congress leaders had to depend on the High Command on issues such as having an alliance with other parties.

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