Bengaluru: Upalokayukta, Subhash P. Adi, against whom the ruling Congress party had moved an impeachment motion in the legislature for his removal, received strong support from an unexpected quarter- farmer leader, Kurubur Shantakumar.
This has left a section of Congress leaders in North-Karnataka worried. They were opposed to the moving of an impeachment motion against Justice Adi and felt that Mr Ugrappa's decision would have far reaching consequences during the forthcoming Zilla Panchayat and Taluk panchayat polls, which will commence soon after the Local Authorities elections are over by the year end.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Kurubur Shantakumar said, “Congress leader V.S. Ugrappa should not have targeted Justice Adi, who as Upalokayukta issued an order to pay farmer arrears due from sugar mill owners. Is Mr Ugrappa trying to defend sugar mill owners by indulging in politicking in this case?”
He felt Mr Ugrappa owed an apology for using an order which was in favour of farmers to impeach a judge.
“We will not tolerate this, we will certainly educate our farmers about this,” he said.
Meanwhile, three senior leaders from north-Karnataka disclosed to this newspaper that Mr Shantakumar's farmer organisation has a well entrenched mechanism to convey a view for or against a party which could prove disastrous for the Congress during the Zilla panchayat and Taluk panchayat elections.
“Farmers organisations generally remain neutral but in this case, they might just spread the news that the Congress party was partial in protecting the interests of sugar mill owners and had ensured that the Upalokayukta was shunted out from his post. This means nothing but disaster for us unless we take corrective measures right now to ally the fears of farmers,” the source explained.
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