Karnataka   

MP, Minister shun farmers

KOLAR: Tension prevailed at zilla panchayat premises here on Saturday as police tried to stop different sections of people who were proceeding towards the office to meet Union Minister K.H. Muniyappa and Muzrai and district in-charge Minister S.N. Krishnaiah Shetty.

While some farmers led by Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha taluk president Holur Shankar and Janata Dal (Secular) leader Bellamburi Nagaraj wanted to meet the dignitaries to discuss the tomato price issue, some ITI students were keen to submit a memorandum demanding bus pass.

A verbal duel took place between police officials and agitators when the former disallowed the latter to enter the premises. After much altercation, farmers and students entered the zilla panchayat office premises and staged a dharna. The protesters condemned the “police excesses” on the peaceful agitators. The dignitaries, including Mr. Muniyappa, Mr. Shetty and local MLA Varhur Prakash allegedly did not respond to requests of farmers and students. The Ministers and others arrived here to participate in the general body meeting of zilla panchayat.

Mr. Shetty left the place in a huff with police protection prompting farmers to raise slogans against him.

“Although we wanted to discuss the crisis faced by tomato growers because of crash in the prices of the crop, the prominent people’s representatives turned blind and deaf,” Mr. Nagaraj said.

A meeting has been convened to form a struggle committee to carry forward the week-long agitation to demand minimum support price of Rs. 5 a kg of tomato, he told The Hindu.

Referring to contradictory statements by the Ministers and local MLA about support price, Mr. Shankar alleged that the people in the office were misleading the public. “This sheds light on the anti-farmer attitude of the BJP government,” he said.

Farmers at N. Vaddahalli bordering Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu dumped tomato on roads to register their anger against the Government’s alleged failure to protect their interests. The farmers submitted memorandum to tahasildar Harishilpa.

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