Congress government including BJP’s controversial farm legislations as reference for KAPC irks farmers’ leaders

The Congress government including controversial farm legislations that had been brought in and later withdrawn by the BJP-led government at the Centre as the reference points for the Karnataka Agriculture Prices Commission (KAPC) has ruffled the feathers of farmers’ leaders and agricultural economists who had expressed their ideological support to the Congress. 

The Congress government including controversial farm legislations that had been brought in and later withdrawn by the BJP-led government at the Centre as the reference points for the Karnataka Agriculture Prices Commission (KAPC) has ruffled the feathers of farmers’ leaders and agricultural economists who had expressed their ideological support to the Congress. 

Taking exception to a reference made to these rolled-back laws (related to land reforms and Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC)) by the government’s communication to the KAPC, prominent farmers’ leaders who had actively participated in the farmers’ struggle in Delhi against them, have now written an ‘emergency public letter’ to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, expressing shock and also warning him that they would have to take to streets if this was the government’s stand. 

Under the banner of ‘Samyukta Horata (United Struggle) – Karnataka against the anti-farmer and labour policies of the Centre and the State’, which had earlier participated in the national farmers’ struggle against the Centre’s legislations, several prominent farmers’ leaders and social activists including Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha President Badagalapura Nagendra, Karnataka Janashakti President Noor Sridhar and KRRS & Hasiru Sene President H.R. Basavarajappa wrote to the Chief Minister on Wednesday. 

In the letter, they recalled that Mr. Siddaramaiah, who was then the Opposition leader, had participated in their protest against the Centre’s legislations with respect to agriculture sector. 

Later, in the pre-poll manifesto, the Congress had declared that it would nullify such legislations and also bring in a legislation to ensure Minimum Support Prices to agricultural produce, they pointed out. But, they alleged that none of these promises had come true in the real sense after the Congress came to power in Karnataka. They cited the latest example of the government extending the KAPC’s tenure, but on the same set of guidelines that had been prescribed by the erstwhile BJP government in Karnataka.

“If considering the earlier controversial legislations of the BJP as a guiding principle is the stand of your government, then it is a great injustice to farmers’ community. We have to take to streets to fight against such a stand. But before embarking on our struggle, we want to get clarification from you,” the leaders told the Chief Minister in the letter.

Meanwhile, some farmers’ leaders and agri economists felt that references to these legislations could be just another “insensitive and mechanical bureaucratic” communication. “But even then it is a serious issue as it clearly reflects the government not having control over administration and the flaw in the monitoring system,” observed an agricultural expert.