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The Hindu
09-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Civil society groups stage protest as part of nation-wide strike in Kalaburagi
As part of the all-India general strike, a coalition of civil society organisations, including trade unions, farmers groups and scheme workers associations, staged a protest in Kalaburagi on Wednesday. The rally began at Jagat Circle, moved through SVP Circle and culminated with a public meeting in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office after a brief road blockade. The protesters raised slogans against the policies of the BJP-led Union government and the Congress-led State government accusing them both of neglecting the rights of farmers and workers while promoting corporate interests. The agitation was organised jointly the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha, the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene, the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti, Welfare Party of India (WPI), Construction Workers Union, Agricultural Labourers Union, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Anganwadi Workers Union, Federation of Medical Representatives Associations and other like-minded civil society outfits. Speaking at the gathering, district president of the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha Sharanabasappa Mamshetti demanded that the Red Gram Board be strengthened along the lines of the Karnataka Milk Federation to ensure fair procurement and market support for red gram farmers. He also stressed the need for including pulses in school meal programmes under the Akshara Dasoha scheme and called for the legal implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's MSP formula. CITU district secretary M.B. Sajjan criticised the Union government's labour reforms saying that they strip away hard-earned protections and force workers into conditions of economic subjugation. He emphasised the plight of unorganised and informal sector workers, including scheme workers, and called for minimum wage guarantees and better legal protections. Among the prominent demands raised are the enactment of a law to guarantee Minimum Support Price based on the C2+50% formula of the Swaminathan Commission, comprehensive farm loan waivers, immediate release of crop insurance compensation and a rollback of the Electricity Amendment Bill and other agrarian and labour law changes. The protestors also sought an end to the installation of smart meters for irrigation pumpsets, regularisation of land occupied by landless families and tenant farmers and a state-level minimum wage of ₹36,000 for all categories of workers, including scheme employees and contract labourers. They urged the government to reinstate the Old Pension Scheme and provide a monthly pension of ₹9,000 for all unorganised workers, while strongly opposing the privatisation of public sector units and essential services. A memorandum addressed to both the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister was submitted, outlining a range of concerns and demands.
The Hindu
27-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Police brutality against farmers condemned, land acquisition in Devanahalli opposed
Members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Centre of Indian trade Unions (CITU) and the All India Kisan Khet Mazdoor Sangathan (AIKKMS) have strongly condemned Wednesday's police brutality against farmers, leaders and activists during a peaceful protest led by the Samyukta Horata Karnataka at Devanahalli in Bengaluru Rural district opposing the forcible land acquisition by the State government. The members of CPI(M), CITU and AIKKMS under the banner of Samyukta Horata Karnataka staged a protest and gathered at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Chowk and also outside the Deputy Commissioner's office in the city and raised slogans against the State government for manipulating the laws to acquire land by force without the consent of farmers in Devanahalli taluk. CPI(M) district secretary K. Neela said that the then BJP government in the State had implemented the land reform policy introduced by the BJP-led Central government. However, the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government which had opposed the 'anti-farmer policy' and came to power vowing to protect the interest of farmers by repealing it, is now hell-bent on enforcing the same policy, leaving the farming community in distress, she said. For the past 1,180 days, farmers from 13 villages from Devanahalli taluk have been protesting against the State government's attempt to acquire 1,770 acres of agricultural land under the pretext of industrial development. The agitators said that the State government's land acquisition move is a threat to the livelihood of hundreds of farmers who mainly depend on horticulture, vegetable cultivation and dairy farming. Activists M.B. Sajjan and Sharanabasappa Mamshetty said that the State government held three rounds of meetings with farmers and organizations in the name of industrial development just to pacify them before announcing its final decision on Wednesday. They accused the State government of prioritizing industrial interests over those of farmers. Condemning the cowardly act of the police in trying to suppress democratic rights of farmers to fight for their land and livelihood, AIKKMS district president Ganpat Rao Mane criticised the police for taking 52 protestors (leaders and activists) into preventive custody on Wednesday for supporting the agitation. The agitators demanded that the State government stop the land acquisition process and warned that they will intensify their agitation and continue to fight until the acquired land is returned to farmers.
