55-year-old sugarcane grower commits suicide in the vicinity of Suvarna Vidhan Soudha in Belgaum.
Sugarcane grower Vittal Arabavi collapses after consuming poison in front of Suvarna Soudha in Belgaum on Wednesday - DC
Belgaum: The indefinite strike launched by sugarcane farmers in the vicinity of Suvarna Vidhan Soudha took an unpleasant turn when a 55 year-old farmer committed suicide minutes after making an emotional address at the venue of the agitation on Wednesday.
A cane grower from Kankanwadi village in Raibag taluk, Vittal Bheemappa Arabavi, turned emotional as he recounted his woes and the fact that some sugar mills had not cleared dues. Soon, he consumed poison, and was rushed by shocked agitators to a nearby hospital and subsequently to KLE Hospital and Research Centre in Belgaum, where he was declared dead.
As word about his suicide spread, tension gripped the precinct neighbouring Suvarna Soudha, with local police officers rushing in with additional enforcements.
Several politicians rushed to the venue and addressed the farmers. Prominent among them, KJP leader B.S. Yeddyurappa said he would join the agitation once he is sent out of the Assembly session for staging a sit-on on the ‘Shaadi Bhagya’ scheme. He announced that he, along with other KJP leaders, would visit Kankanwadi to attend the funeral of the farmer.
Sources said Vittal, survived by his wife and two sons, is in debt as he had borrowed Rs 5 lakh, and could not market his produce to sugar factories because of the ongoing agitation.
His friends said he was upset about the impasse and had lost hopes of marketing sugarcane at remunerative price.
All agitating farmers have decided to call off their agitation for a day to attend the funeral at Kankanwadi on Thursday and would resume the stir on their return to Belgaum on Friday.
Next: Govt jolted into action, CM hikes support price
Govt jolted into action, CM hikes support price
Belgaum: In an attempt to silence the combined opposition on the issue of minimum support price for sugarcane, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah annouÂnced a slew of sops for sugarcane farmers as well as a new price for their produce, on Wednesday while blaming the opposition for not allowing him to speak in the assembly on Tuesday on the subject and prevent the farmer's untimely death.
Stating that the new price fixed by his government was most remunerative when compared with states such as Uttar Pradesh and Punjab , SiddaÂramaiah told media persons, “My government did not delay a decision on fixing the sugarcane price. But the unfortunate incident (farmer’suicide) occurred even as the legislature was debating the issue. My plan to announce the package went awry on Tuesday as the House got adjourned abruptly. And today (Wednesday), the tragedy occurred before I could reply in the Houses,” he said minutes after the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council were adjourned amid slogan shouting by the opposition.
Lashing out at opposition parties for dubbing the Congress government as anti-farmer, Siddaramaiah recalled the developments leading to price fixation in Karnataka. He expressed his ire against the opposition for not giving him an opportunity to speak on the issue of minimum support price for sugarcane and disrupting the proceedings by rushing into the well of the House.
The CM expressed his grief over the death of farmer Vittal Bheemappa Arabavi, 55, from Kankanwadi village in Raibagh taluk in both the Houses.
BSY jumps from one protest to the other
BSY jumps from one protest to the other
Belgaum: The farmer’s suicide on Wednesday made former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa end his day and night protest over the extension of the Shaadi Bhagya scheme to all communities.
The KJP president has now decided to join the farmers protest, demanding a better price for sugar cane. From Thursday, Yeddyurappa will join thefarmers in front of Suvarna Vidhana Soudha.
Meanwhile, apart from the government, both BJP and KJP have announced Rs 5 lakh each to the family members of the deceased farmer. The JD(S) announced Rs 1 lakh as compensation.
Earlier, Yeddyurappa had said that if the government extended Shaadi Bhagya to SC/STs and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), he would withdraw his indefinite dharna in the well of the Assembly.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Yeddyurappa said the government had earmarked only Rs 5 crore for the scheme and the amount could be utilized only for 200 Muslim brides. The government should give more financial assistance to the Muslim community as well as OBCs, he said.
The government provides separate budgetary allocation to OBC and SC/ST Corporation which could be used for this purpose, the former CM said.
( Source : dc )
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