10,000 farmers and workers to take part in indefinite dharna starting Feb. 10

State vice-president of Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha U. Basavaraj addressing a press conference in Kalaburagi.
| Photo Credit: ARUN KULKARNI

Members of the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS) and All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU) along with farmers and workers will launch an indefinite dharna on February 10 at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru demanding ownership rights for farmers engaged in cultivation on bagair hukum land in forest areas and also to protest against forcible acquisition of agricultural land to favour private companies.

KPRS State vice-president U. Basavaraj and AIAWU State vice-president Bheemshetty Yempalli, addressing a press conference in Kalaburagi on Sunday, said that nearly 10,000 farmers and workers from across the State will take part in the indefinite dharna.

“The apathetic government approach towards the peasant community is causing farmer suicides in the State. Both the State and Central governments want to acquire agricultural land of poor farmers to favour multi-national companies,” Mr. Basavaraj said.

With anti-farmer and anti-labour policies of the consecutive governments, the rich have become richer while the poor have remained poor, Mr. Basavaraj said and accused the State government of being reluctant to grant ownership rights to farmers cultivating on forest land and to regularise bagair hukum land.

Mr. Yempalli demanded that the government provide five acres of agricultural land each to workers.