Bengaluru: While farmers across the country were protesting against three farm laws that were introduced by the Union Government, the Karnataka Government finally passed the amendment to the Karnataka Land Reforms Act of 1961 in the upper house of the state legislature.
The BJP-led state government was able to pass the amendment with the backing of the JD(S) with 37 votes for and 21 against the same. Ten votes from the JD(S) made the difference. As many as nine Congress MLCs were absent for the vote.
Tuesday, the second day of the winter session, saw Congress and JD(S) MLCs debating the bill, just as they did the previous day.
During the debate, the Congress alleged that the bill would be the death of farmers’ livelihoods as more corporates would enter the agriculture sector and purchase large sections of land for their benefit. Countering their claims, the BJP argued that the bill would weed out corruption.
Now that the controversial legislation has been passed in both houses, all it requires is the Governor’s approval to be notified in the Gazette.
After the amendment was passed, farmers staged a protest at Maurya Circle in Bengaluru city, calling JD(S) leader and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy a “corporate agent” for extending his support.
The JD(S) has, for a long time, centred its political campaigns over farmers’ rights.
According to a report by TNM, the farmers chanted “corporate agent B S Yediyurappa, down down. Mafia agent H D Kumaraswamy down down” during the protest.
Police detained the protesters and took them away in buses.
Meanwhile, farmer groups and pro-Kannada organisations have announced an indefinite strike on Wednesday against the state government.