Karnataka: Minister’s sugar factory in dock, Bagalkot farmer ends life

HUBBALLI: Tension was palpable in Uttur, a village in Mudhol taluk of Bagalkot district, when hundreds of farmers staged a protest in front of a sugar factory owned by horticulture minister Shamanur Shivashankarappa, along with the body of Hanumanthappa Dasar, 28, a farmer who committed suicide because he was not paid arrears by the management of the factory, on Saturday.

Dasar, from neighbouring village of Shirol, supplied 29 tons of sugarcane to the factory owned by the minister in April, but did not get arrears of Rs 52,000, forcing him to borrow from private money lenders and banks in order to repay loans taken from banks for cultivation of the crop.

He had even sold half his of 11 acre farm in order to overcome his financial problems. He had borrowed Rs 3.27 lakhs from Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank and other money lenders.

When he took the extreme step, scores of farmers marched to the factory and demanded adequate compensation to the kin of Dasar, as well as settlement of arrears of sugarcane growers who had supplied sugarcane to the factory.

They did not allow post-mortem examination of the body till evening despite the intervention of local legislator Govind Karjol and senior police officer.

“Sugarcane growers are forced to borrow from private money lenders as the sugar factory owned by minister Shamanur Shivashankarappa has failed to settle their arrears. The victim had sunk into depression after the minister made an irresponsible statement that the government cannot be held responsible for suicides of the farmers.

“He also faced harassment from money lenders who demanded that he repay his loans”, said Rachappa Kallolli, a farmers’ leader and resident of Shirol village.

Farmer suicides: Non-Congress ruled states are Rahul’s priority, says Prahlad Joshi

Taking a dig at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, state BJP president Prahlad Joshi on Saturday said that the Congress leader is touring only non-Congress ruled states to study farmer suicides.

Addressing the media at Bagalkot, he condemned the Congress vice-president for not visiting Karnataka despite a spurt in farmer suicide cases. He said Mr Gandhi should first give suggestions to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on putting an end to these suicides, he said. Mr Gandhi is only trying to gain political mileage by consoling the families of deceased farmers in other states, he alleged.

“The Congress government in the state has become a big theatre group and ministers have failed to understand the problems being faced by the distressed farmers. Mr Gandhi went on padayatras in non-Congress ruled states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh soon after death of farmers, but has failed to visit Karnataka though the number of farmers committing suicide has crossed 50 in the last two months,” he said.

He suggested that the chief minister should take an all-party delegation to the Centre to seek a special package for farmers by apprising the central government of the problems being faced by farmers. The government’s move to seize sugar stocks at factories is an eyewash to ensure smooth functioning of Legislature session. Sugarcane farmers have failed to get their arrears from the factory despite assurance by the government, forcing them to commit suicide, he alleged. He claimed that the central government has purchased ethanol, which is a byproduct of sugar, worth Rs 70,000 crore by fixing a minimum price.

The government has gone into a state of coma and Mr Siddaramaiah is facing embarrassment from his cabinet colleagues, including Shivaraj Tangadagi and Baburao Chinchansur, who are in the thick of scandals. “The home minister has admitted that illegal activities like sand mining and cricket betting mafia have thrived in the state. The government has allowed a free run for these activities to facilitate ministers to earn money through unlawful means,” he alleged.

He said that opposition parties need not table a no-confidence motion in the Assembly, as the government has failed and is entangled in various scandals.