Former Supreme Court judge V. Gopala Gowda has termed the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Ordinance, 2020, brought out by the State government “unconstitutional” and violative of the fundamental rights of the farmers.
Addressing a gathering at the State-level conference on the law, organised by the Karnataka Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene, he said the Ordinance has been brought in an “emergency manner” by sidelining the State legislature. He said the State government taking the route of Ordinance was “nothing but backdoor tactics.” The Governor should have considered these factors before signing the Ordinance, he said, and added that he supports the legal fight against the “unconstitutional Ordinance.”
“It is no one’s business to dictate who should eat what... The stand taken by the government also impact financial freedom of the farmers,” said Mr. Gowda.
Congress plans protests
Meanwhile, the Congress has said that it will resort to street protests and jail bharo against the “anti-farmer” legislations brought by the State and Central governments.
Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on Sunday said that a plan would be chalked out during the Congress Legislative Party meeting, which will be convened shortly.
He was speaking during the release of the booklet “Five Acts and several lies”. The booklet has been brought out to create awareness about how various legislations will adversely impact the lives of farmers, including the Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Act, 2020, and the anti-cow slaughter Ordinance.
He said that the BJP leaders were peddling lies several laws, including amendment to APMC Act.
“Though in the initial days it could be profitable for the farmers, later they may not be able to get a good price for their produce. Private individuals can set up their own markets parallel to APMC, which will lead to closure of APMC, which is currently safeguarding the interest of farmers,” he added. While on one hand the Union Goverbment is stating that the MSP would not be withdrawn, it is also not willing to provide legislative cover to it, he added.
Accusing BJP leaders of being ignorant of the economy revolving around cattle in rural areas, Mr. Siddaramaiah said it will not impact big businesses.
“I urge the government, which has brought the anti-cow slaughter Ordinance to ban import of beef from New Zealand or Australia, and also stop export of beef from here. The legislation will only impact small farmers who have to now maintain old cattle or the leather industry that is dependent on hide,” he said.
Farmers’ Republic Day
Farmers in Karnataka plan to take out a parade with tractors and agricultural implements on January 26 to express solidarity with the agitating farmers in New Delhi.
Announcing this at a preliminary meeting organised by Jagrutha Karnataka here on Sunday, Badagalapura Nagendra, president of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, said it would be a “Farmers’ Republic Day parade” in protest against changes to farm laws brought by the State and the Centre. Farmers leaders from other southern States also participated in the preparatory meeting.
