Chitradurga (Karnataka) [India, July 29 (ANI): The Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R Ashoka, travelled to dry-land farming belts in Chitradurga to evaluate seasonal crop conditions on Wednesday, accusing local departments of operating entirely from offices instead of conducting physical ground surveys.
Talking to the reporters Ashoka stated that he observed administrative failures during his field inspection in Chitradurga.
“Farmers are in distress. I came to the field today itself… There is no rain. Agriculture, Horticulture officials, and the Tahsildar are present now, but no official has come to survey farmers’ fields yet. They are just sitting in the office and filing reports. Because of this, many farmers will be left out. There hasn’t been enough publicity about insurance in this district,” he said.
Earlier this month, BJP Karnataka State President BY Vijayendra launched a scathing attack on the Congress government, alleging it was “forcibly seizing fertile farmland” in the Bidadi region in the name of a Satellite Township to serve “real estate interests of the High Command.”
Addressing a protest rally organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party in support of Bidadi farmers, Vijayendra said, “The Congress government and Chief Minister DK Shivakumar are forcibly taking away farmers’ fertile lands in Bidadi. To fill the stomach of the High Command, they have turned to the real estate business.”
Vijayendra accused the government of committing “atrocities” by compulsorily acquiring land from poor farmers who depend entirely on agriculture.
“Families with 4-5 acres are being pushed onto the streets. But there is no obstacle for Congress leaders and MLAs to own hundreds and thousands of acres in the same Bidadi region. This exposes their double standards,” he said.
He further alleged that while the CM has no time to address farmers’ distress in North Karnataka, he is prioritising “real estate-based projects” like the Bidadi Township and Kanakapura Airport.
Referring to an alleged promise to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, Vijayendra claimed, “He had said, ‘If you make me Chief Minister, I will build the Bidadi Township and provide an opportunity to DLF company.’ Now he is hitting farmers where it hurts the most.
“The BJP chief alleged that “goons” were being sent to the homes of farmers who refuse to part with their land, with threats of “You will not survive.”
“On one hand, the CM says land will not be forcibly taken. On the other hand, the government is filing false cases against protesting farmers and sending them to jail. This is the arrogance of power,” he charged.
Taking a dig at the government, Vijayendra said there was still no clarity on who the state’s Agriculture Minister was months after the Congress came to power.
“The CM has sidelined the Agriculture Department. It should be renamed the ‘Real Estate Congress Department’ if justice is to be done,” he said. (ANI)
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