Former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday defended the party’s decision to help the BJP pass the Karnataka Land Reforms (Second Amendment) Bill, 2020, in the Legislative Council, arguing that suggestions made by his party on the earlier draft had been incorporated in the final one.
While farmers’ leaders have accused him of “betraying” farmers by helping passing of the legislation, he said that those talking about the new law were ignorant about its provisions and consequences. The JD(S) and party supremo H.D. Deve Gowda had always worked for the welfare of farmers, said Mr. Kumaraswamy, recalling the loan waiver scheme introduced by him as the Chief Minister.
“The JD(S) initially opposed the Bill proposed and some of its provisions. We pointed out what needed to be changed and it was incorporated,” he said in Kolar. His party had succeeded in ensuring that fundamental principles of the law, such as ‘land to the tiller’, remained intact, Mr. Kumaraswamy claimed. There has been a lot of debate within and outside the legislature regarding the merits of Article 79 (A) and 79 (B) of the Act, he said.
