Prominent personalities of Hassan who were jailed many times as foot soldiers of the powerful farmers’ movement in the 1980s, went down memory lane on Sunday and recalled the days of their struggle.
They shared their experiences of police lathi-charge they had faced during protests, the cooperation they received from the public in organising events, and attempts of assault on them, besides the leadership qualities of M.D. Nanjundaswamy, founder of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha.
The meeting was organised by the district unit of the forum in memory of Panduranga Vittal, a vibrant leader of the sangha who died after prolonged illness in Hassan recently.
Artist and activist K.T. Shivaprasad recalled the days he spent at Ballupete in Sakleshpur taluk along with fellow Raitha Sangha activists. “We were the first people in the State to counter the bank’s/society’s seizure of belongings from farmers who had failed to clear loans. We attracted the wrath of the police by forcibly recovering the seized goods. The police arrested us, but that act gave a new dimension to the farmers’ movement. It became popular as the ‘Maru Japti’ movement across the State,” he said.
Former MLA H.M. Vishwanath, who was once district president of the forum, narrated incidents of police lathi-charge and long-distance travel without proper food and shelter as part of the struggle to strengthen the organisation. “During a visit to Shivamogga, we did not get accommodation in any government guest house. I had to impersonate H.S. Rudrappa, a former Lok Sabha member, to gain entry to an inspection bungalow,” he said.
Mr. Vishwanath said that when the movement was at its peak, there were attempts to murder Prof. Nanjundaswamy. “Panduranga Vittal, a dynamic leader of Hassan, volunteered to be with him always as a protector.”
Journalist R.P. Venkateshamurthy said the farmers’ struggle was very strong in Hassan the early 1980s. Activists built the organisation in the neighbouring Kodagu district effectively and that helped the then Janata Party candidate Jeevijaya to defeat Chief Minister Gundu Rao in Virajpet constituency. “We took up the task of building the organisation in Virajpet as many farmers were shot at during Gundu Rao’s rule,” he said. Almost all the speakers felt the need to record the events of the farmers’ movement in Hassan in book form.