Sugarcane farmers resume indefinite strike in Belagavi

Belagavi: Sugarcane farmers who had withdrawn their indefinite protest at the DC office premises here following a request by water resources minister D K Shivkumar, resumed the protest on Saturday.
Sidagouda Modagi of Bharatiya Krishik Samaj said chief minister H D Kumaraswamy had assured them of declaring the ex-field FRP rate for sugarcane but did not do it. “On the other hand, the government has issued a notification instructing farmers to enter into a bilateral agreement with factories mandatorily, which is nothing but an atrocity against farmers,” he said.

Dharwad-based Vijay Kulkarni who heads Kalasa Banduri Horata Samiti said, “Although Kumaraswamy claims to be a pro-farmer CM, he is hardly thinking about the welfare of sugarcane farmers. The CM has failed to announce ex-field FRP price bowing to pressure from sugar mills.” Raghavendra Naik, a farmer leader, said the protest will continue till the government announces the right price for sugarcane. The farmers started the protest by singing bhajans.

JD(S)’ smear campaign, says woman farmer leader

Farmer leader Jayashri Gurannavar, who had grabbed headlines during the recent protests, on Saturday showed media persons a letter sent to her by strangers calling her a BJP agent. Jayashri broke down before reporters and said the letter had filthy words. She also alleged that the JD(S) was running a smear campaign against her.

Jayashri had taken the lead in breaking SVS’s locks and entering the premises with sugarcane laden trucks during a protest. She had called Kumaraswamy a ‘nalayak CM’, after which Kumaraswamy had asked where was she sleeping for so many years. His comments received widespread criticism after which he had to express regret over his statement.