Farmers stage dharna outside Suvarna Soudha

BELAGAVI: Protesting against the Centre’s farm bill, farmers from several districts of North Karnataka staged a dharna in front of Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi on Thursday. The protesters demanded that the government withdraw the farm bill in the interest of the nation’s farmers.

Extending support to the ongoing agitation of farmers in New Delhi, the agitators shouted slogans against the new laws and urged the government to stop implementing anti-farmer policies. The government must come up with projects and programmes to bolster the agriculture sector, they added.

Addressing the agitators, farmer leader from Chikkodi Raju Pawar appealed to the Centre and state governments to “stop taking people for a ride”, and said that farmers would continue their stir if the farm bill is not withdrawn.

Several farmers said the government was yet to rebuild the houses of farmers which collapsed in the floods. A number of flood-hit farmers are still awaiting compensation for losses suffered, they added.

Sitting on dharna outside Suvarna Soudha, adjacent to the National Highway, the farmers cooked food and served it among the protesters. Members of various farmer organisations like Raitha Sangha, Hasiru Sene etc, were part of the agitation.