Bengaluru, Nov 7 (PTI) Hitting out at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over farmers’ protest in the northern districts of Karnataka, demanding a fair price of Rs 3,500 per tonne for sugarcane, BJP leader R Ashoka on Friday asked the CM to quit if he can’t govern.
The Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly slammed the chief minister for blaming the Centre and asked him to address the concerns of the farmers.
“7 days, thousands of sugarcane farmers on the streets, but CM Siddaramaiah has just one solution: Blame the Centre,” Ashoka said in a post on ‘X’.
Pointing out that when in Opposition, Siddaramaiah gave big sermons, he said, “But now (as CM), he hides behind excuses and abandons farmers. If you (Siddaramaiah) can’t govern, resign and quit.” Siddaramaiah, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, had said that the root of the problem lies in central policy levers: the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) formula, the stagnating Minimum Support Price (MSP) for sugar, export curbs and the under-utilised ethanol off take from sugar-based feedstock.
He has sought urgent appointment from the PM to discuss “the serious situation” arising out of the ongoing agitation.
Ashoka in the post further said, “We demand: Rs 500/tonne incentive above FRP, Rs 5,000 crore revolving fund, and Immediate intervention – not press conferences.” Farmers have been protesting at Gurlapur Cross in Mudalagi taluk of Belagavi district for over a week now. It has also spread across various parts of north Karnataka districts like Belagavi, Bagalkote, Vijayapura, Haveri among others.
With the protest intensifying, Siddaramaiah has called for a meeting with farmer leaders and representatives of sugar factories on Friday. PTI KSU KH
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