Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada district Congress Committee spokesperson AC Vinayaraj alleged that BS Yediyurappa led BJP government is trying to cheat the farmers by allowing non-agriculturists to acquire farmland.
The Karnataka government has proposed significant amendments to the state Land Reforms Act, 1961 recently, to allow non-agriculturists to acquire farmland, while also modifying a section of the law which imposes ceilings on land holdings.
Addressing a press conference at the district Congress office on Wednesday, June 17 Vinayaraj said, “Former prime minister Indira Gandhi has helped poor farmers by bringing a revolutionary Land Reforms Act. Due to which, landlords had to forgive their land to those poor farmers who actually were using that land for their livelihood. But now, Yediyurappa led BJP government has proposed significant amendments to the Act to allow industrialists and corporate companies to purchase the farmland. It is an effort to favor corporate companies and industrialists.”
Placing a statistics Vinayaraj said, “Over 75 lakh farmer families are there in the state, in which small and marginal holders are around 55 lakh families. If the government would be succeeded to bring an amendment to this Act, they would fall victim to the corporate companies.”
“Despite, Yediyurappa claims that farmers would get a good value for their land and it creates employment opportunities to the jobless, one should not believe upon his words. If the government would not withdraw this proposal of bringing an amendment to the Land Reforms Act, Congress party would stage a severe protest in the next coming days,” Vinayraj stressed.
