Expressing strong objection against the anti-farmer legislations enacted by the center the farmers hit to the street across the state on Friday.
The farmers expressed their ire by holding rasta-roko in the city capital. They demanded the union government to immediately withdraw the amendments brought to the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
The farmers congregated at the Mysuru Bank Circle and staged protest for over an hour. They raised slogans against the anti-farmer, anti-labour and pro corporate policies of the BJP government at the centre and in the state. Traffic movement was disrupted for sometime due to the protest.
During the protest demonstration, Farmers beat drums and performed ‘Urulu Seva’ (rolling on floor as a form of praying out of helplessness of their situation) and tried to draw the attention of the government towards their demands.
The centre without holding any discussion with the farming community had unilaterally brought the amendments first though the ordinance route and subsequently by sabotaging the democratic set-up. The ruling dispensation had only aim to serve the corporate sector. Justifying the amendments in the pretext of avoiding the middlemen the government had only tried to handover the agriculture sector to the corporates. The amendements are only a death knell to the farmers as they were highly detrimental to the interest of the farmers and should be immediately withdrawn.
At a time when people of the nation are confined to their homes due to the pandemic, sweeping changes had been brought to farmer, labour related laws without asking stakeholders opinion. Even opposition parties had been denied to discuss the amended laws which is not a sign of democratically elected government.
If the government does not withdraw the draconian amendments, the farmers will further intensify their protest. Farmers across the nation had expressed solidarity to the nation wide band call on Sep 28.
Farmers say that today´s Rasta roko is a warning to the ruling governemnt. Farmers Dalit and Labour Aikya Horata Samiti (Committe for United Struggle), Karanataka Rajya Raita Sangha(Karnataka state farmers union) and Hasiru Sene (Green Sena), labour orgnisations CPM, CITU, Committee for the Land and Housing Rights and various organisation took part in the protest.
The government used force to suppress the protest as police arrested the protesters.
