Farmers say it’s a ‘Golmaal meet’
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The anger of farmers over land acquistion for industries and broken promises on job creation by the government spilled over into the Global Investors Meet on Thursday, as some managed to sneak into the venue, shouting slogans while nearly a 1,000 farmers led by the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) blocked traffic on the busy Tumkur road.
Four members of the KRRS who gained entry into the GIM by securing passes, shouted anti-government slogans, interrupting Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda’s keynote address while the high profile delegates looked on. They were whisked away by the police even as farmers blocking traffic on Tumkur Road arrived in four buses. The police once again swung into action and took one busload of farmers to the police station at Byadarahalli and three other buses to undisclosed destinations.
Condemning the high-handedness of the police, KRRS president, Kodihalli Chandrashekar deplored that although during the previous GIM–2010 the state government had promised to create 12 lakh jobs for farmers, two years down the line not even 12,000 jobs were on offer. “The government is becoming a land bank for private agencies and industrialists, ignoring the interest of farmers, who are not being paid adequate compensation. The GIM has become a ‘Golmaal Investors Meet’,” he charged. Principal secretary, commerce and industries, M.N. Vidyashankar said the compensation was fixed on the basis of the guidance value arrived at by the sub registrars. “Meetings were held with farmers explaining this to them and they seemed convinced. But it appears they are being misguided by a few who are against development,” he added, revealing that MoUs had so far been signed for Rs 6.4 lakh crore at the GIM and more were expected to be entered into on the last day.
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