Karnataka Assembly: While 30 bills were scheduled for discussion in this session, 6 were addressed (Archive)
Bangalore:
Congress tore the papers and went on strike today in the Karnataka Assembly over the land acquisition bill that had been put up for discussion on the last day of the House. Amendments to the Agrarian Reform Law were later passed in the house.
KPCC Chairman DK Shivakumar strongly opposed the proposed amendments and attacked the ruling BJP saying they want to keep farmers as “slaves”.
“They have taken entire land from farmers. It is a very bad amendment that they have brought. They have tabled amendments to buy land from farmers. They want to keep farmers as slaves, so we oppose tooth and nail,” said Mr. Shivakumar told NDTV after the strike.
Farmer groups have been protesting against the amendments to the land acquisition law and the Agricultural Products Market Committee (APMC) law proposed by the state government. The groups have also called for a Karnataka bandh on Monday.
DK Shivakumar also said the party does not want the governor to approve the ordinance.
“We want to protect the farmers of this country. The congressional party has always championed the cause of farmers. We have introduced various laws to give land to farmers. We want the governor not to accept this ordinance,” Shivakumar told NDTV.
The state Congress has been sharing frequent videos of farmers and party leaders expressing resistance against the bill.
The Karnataka Agrarian Reform Law Amendment passed in the Assembly today further empowers our farmers and strengthens their rights. While the APMC reforms assured “My product, my right”, the agrarian reforms ensure “My land, my right” to all our Annadatas.@Narendra Modi
– BS Yediyurappa (@BSYBJP) September 26, 2020
The chief minister, BS Yediyurappa, had previously said that farmers could be “misinformed” about the bill.
“I have said over and over again that only 2 percent of the land can be used for industrial purposes. Anyone who deals with irrigated land will have to use it in the same way, as irrigated land. That is a condition. There will be no problem for farmers. They may have been misinformed, “he said.
The farmers had met with the prime minister on Friday, but the discussion was not a success, so Monday’s strike is still on.
While 30 bills had been scheduled for debate in the monsoon session, only six were addressed.
Congress also expects the debate on the no-confidence motion to occur today, the last day of the session truncated due to the coronavirus pandemic.
They are facing the government led by BS Yediyurappa for alleged corruption in the management of the coronavirus in the state and a project of the Bangalore Development Authority.
BS Yediyurappa did not appear to be fazed by the vote of no confidence. With 116 MLA in the 224-member House, the ruling BJP is not concerned.
“I have no objection to that. Every six months they move the motion of no confidence so that I am safe for another six months,” he told reporters at Vidhan Soudha.
Former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy of Janata Dal Secular said Congress has not yet consulted them on the move.
“I think that both the Treasury bank and the main opposition bank (Congress) have some understanding about this measure. Nobody has consulted us from the side of Congress. When the discussion begins, we will decide at that time,” he said.
Congress and the JDS coalition ruled the state before its collapse in July of last year. After that, their alliance also collapsed.
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