Bangalore : Deve Gowda Joins Farmers Staging Dharna against NICE Road Project
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bangalore, Jan 7: Launching a ``do or die’’ struggle to protect the lands of farmers, former prime minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda on Thurday joined the agitating farmers by personally sitting on dharna at Hemmigepura village against the Nandi Infrastructure Corrideor Enterprises (NICE) promoted Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project.

"I will sit in dharna along with the farmers from today. There is no going back on the agitation until the NICE promoters relent on the acquisition of farm lands,’’ Gowda told reporters after joining in the dharna agitation on the peripheral ring road at Hemmigepura in the city outskirts.

Gowda, however, clarified that he would take a day's break on Friday to visit Kolkata to call on veteran CPM leader Jyoti Basu, whose health condition has turned critical.

"I will continue my protests and dharna after my return from Kolkata and stay put at the venue of dharna. Let the government, which has been lathi-charging and handcuffing agitating farmers, arrest me. My struggle will go on,’’ he declared making it clear that he would lead the struggle of farmers against the government throughout the state.

The JD(S) supremo, who has been waging a relentless battle against Ashok Kheny’s NICE and the BMIC project, dubbed the B S Yeddyurappa-led government as the ``most uncivilised and anti-farmer government that the state ever had.’’

He alleged that there were attacks on farmers by those hired by NICE and police have refused to register cases against the culprits. ``We cannot tolerate this type of government, which started its innings by opening fire at agitating farmers in Haveri and killing two farmers,’’ he said.

The immediate provocation for Gowda to join the protestors was the arrest of around 30 farmers, who had been staging a protest for the last three days demanding a bridge to the NICE road at Hemmigepura, where a school bus was involved in a mishap with a sports utility vehicle on Tuesday.

Though the children in the bus had a narrow escape, the residents of Hemmigepura began their protest seeking the construction of a bridge, holding up traffic on the road.

When Gowda reached the protest spot, farmers poured out their woes to him and claimed that the compensation they were being given in lieu of their land was grossly inadequate and demanded payment of market value. The farmers also alleged that land that was not required for the BMIC project was being acquired by the government and handed over to NICE.

The JD(S) supremo demanded that the government should pay market rate for the land acquired from the farmers and collect guidance value from the promoters if it was handing over government land.

Earlier, Gowda called on Governor H R Bhardwaj at Raj Bhavan and brought to the latter’s notice the alleged excesses being committed by the State Government on the farmers in different parts of the state. He said the Governor, who gave him a patient hearing, assured to take steps within the framework of the Constitution.

Referring to the caning of farmers in Chamarajanagar and their handcuffing in Dharwad district, Gowda said the present BJP Government was ``uncivilised’’ even Yeddyurappa took the oath as chief minister in the name of farmers.

"When atrocities against farmers are being committed in different parts of the state, how can I keep quiet?,’’ he asked and asserted that his struggle to save the land of farmers would be taken to its logical end not only in Bangalore-Mysore region but in all parts of the state.

"I will stage protests wherever the land of farmers is being acquired against their wishes,’’ Gowda declared.