Farmers, Dalits protest over Karnataka government's land reforms

Bengaluru: Karnataka monsoon session of the Assembly began amid farmers and Dalit organisations protesting against the state government amendments made to the Land Reforms Act, Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act and Electricity act.

Described as a united struggle by the farmers, Dalits and labourers, the protest moved from the city railway station to Freedom Park, the destination for protest.

102-year-old freedom fighter, HS Doreswamy said it is time we all came together to throw out these ordinances. He said it is shameful that the government did not even consult the farmers and workers

Retired Justice Nagamohan Das called the ordinances as unconstitutional and said that it will destroy the identity of farmers and will empty out villages.

"The farmers are also protesting the legislation proposed by the Karnataka government which the government calls land reform. It is not land reform, it is a land deform. The protest will grow further and gain more confidence. Today I joined Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha, Dalit Sangharsha Samiti, labour organisations and a total of 29 organisations in a joint struggle under the banner of "Aikya Horata" said the National President of Swaraj India Yogendra Yadav.

In May, the state government amended the APMC act that allows the farmers to directly sell their produce to the private players avoiding 160 APMC's in the state.

In a letter written to the Deputy Commissioner, the All India Trade Union Congress said, "The three regressive ordinances namely Karnataka Land reforms (Amendment) Ordinance 2020, Karnataka Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation and Development) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 and Industrial Disputes and certain other laws (Amendment) ordinance 2020 are extremely regressive and will push the suffering classes of workers, peasants and farmers in to penury and at the complete mercy of the corporate sector."

"These ordinances that the State government is attempting to push through in the present assembly session has been undertaken at the behest of the Central government which is beholden entirely to the monopoly

corporate sector. Such actions of the State and Central Government portend a dark tomorrow for the very social contract of our society and endangers cherished constitutional values of federalism, democratic values, equality of opportunity and the responsibility of the state towards the underprivileged sections of our society," the letter read.

MD Harigovind, general secratary, AITUC, Bengaluru stated in the letter that the anti-people ordinances in the times of the economic crisis betray the fact that the State Government has lost touch with the reality of the lives of the working class people. "The State Government has compromised fully to pressure from the corporate sector and is undermining democratic values in our society by taking unilateral decisions without any consultation with the peasant, farmer and workers organisations in our society.

These ordinances are a direct assault on the hard won rights of the peasants and the workers. Therefore we request your good office to represent our opposition to such anti-people measures of the State government and urge the State government to revoke these ordinances immediately," he mentioned in the letter.