Sugarcane farmers protest against Congress

Mysuru: In a move to defeat the Congress, the members of the Karnataka Sugarcane Cultivators’ Association have declared their support for the candidates of the Janata Dal (Secular) in Chamundeshwari and T.Narsipur constituencies. Kurubur Shanthakumar, the leader of the Association, said that the decision was made at a recent farmers’ meeting where members were asked to vote for candidates who furthered their cause. Although the farmers of Varuna constituency voted for Siddaramaiah in the 2013 elections, Shanthakumar feels that their efforts were not appreciated.

The Congress party has Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at the forefront in Chamundeshwari and Public Works Minister H.C.Mahadevappa in T.Narsipur. Association members accused both ministers of not bothering to address the farmers’ issues in the State and termed them “anti-farmer”. They blamed the Congress Government for the agrarian crisis in the State since the Government prevented them from cultivating their lands stating that the water in the reservoirs were to be used for drinking purposes and not for irrigation.

Mr. Shanthakumar declared that their association was not in support of any particular political party but would cast their votes for one which would be supportive of their demands, which is doubling of procurement price and loan waiver. He said that he was particularly focused on Mr.Siddaramaiah and Mr. Mahadevappa not coming to power. The members of the association staged a protest in front of the Basaveshwara Ciricle  on Thursday to unite the farmers of Karnataka against the Congress. They also protested against the police who denied them permission for taking out a motorcycle rally. They spoke of the “double standards” of the police since they had granted permission earlier for an awareness campaign conducted by certain film stars.