Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) members observed ‘raitha satyagraha’ in the State on Thursday demanding the withdrawal of what they called anti-farmer laws — Karnataka Land Reforms Act, anti-cow slaughter law, and APMC Act.
KRRS members staged a protest in all the district centres and submitted petitions to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah through the Deputy Commissioners of districts. Later in the day, the State Cabinet withdrew one of the three laws — the APMC Act.
KRRS State president Badagalapura Nagendra, who led the protest in Mysuru district, expressed concern over the amended form of the Karnataka Land Reforms Act and said it would affect the State and country’s food security. “The erstwhile BJP government not only allowed non-farmers to buy farmland but also removed the income ceiling with respect to buying farmland. This has resulted in large tracts of farmland reaching the hands of capitalists,” he told The Hindu. He also demanded that authorities impose conditions on converting the land-use pattern of farmland.
