Farmer groups call for Karnataka bandh on September 28

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Sep 24, 2020:    Farmers’ organisations across Karnataka and their allied outfits will hold a state-wide bandh on Monday (September 28) to protest against the Karnataka government’s Land Reforms Ordinances and Union government’s contentious Farm Bills. The strike was earlier decided to be held on Friday after a massive rally was conducted in Bengaluru over the same issue. The farmers’ groups have said they will block the national highway, too.

 

As widely reported, many farmers in Karnataka are against the contentious ordinances passed by the state government on land and agricultural issues — namely the Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Ordinance 2020, Karnataka Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation and Development) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020. The farmers have also been opposing the three Farm Bills, which were passed in the Rajya Sabha amid uproar and opposition.

So far, many labour organisations, Peace Auto and Taxi Association, Bharath Vehicles drivers Union, Ola, Uber and Taxi for Sure Owners and Drivers Association, Lorry Owners Association and others have already announced their support to the farmers. Even the Bengaluru Restaurant Owners Association has voiced their support for the farmers’ strike.
Among other provisions of these laws, the protesting farmers are opposing the easing of norms which will allow non-agriculturalists of any income group to purchase agricultural lands and retrospectively decriminalise those who bought farmlands illegally till now. They fear this will lead to land hoarding as the laws also propose an increase in the ceiling on the land a person has own.Meanwhile, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and other parties in Tamil Nadu, too, will hold a stir against Farm Bills on Monday.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the political party from Punjab, has also called for a similar strike in Punjab.

It may be recalled that Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the MP from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), an ally of the BJP, had resigned from the Union Cabinet in protest against three farm sector bills. She was the Union Food Processing Industries Minister.

Courtesy:The News Minute