Coming down heavily on the State government for its decision to introduce changes to the Karnataka Land Reforms Act, Kagodu Thimmappa, former Minister, has said that the changes were against the interests of small and marginal farmers and would pose a threat to the food security of the country.
Speaking at a meeting of Congress workers in Sagar town on Friday, he said that the decision to allow non-agriculturists to purchase farm land and enhance the number of units of land a family can hold would dilute the very objective of the Act that was introduced to confer land ownership rights on small and marginal farmers and abolish absentee landlordism. The Congress would stage intense protest against the decision.
Expressing apprehensions that amending the Act would result in investors purchasing agricultural land and convert it for non-agriculture purpose, he said that this would pose threat to food security. The small and marginal farmers who sell the land at their disposal to the investors would later become unemployed, he said and demanded that the State government backtrack from the decision.
I.N. Suresh Babu assumed charge as president of Sagar unit of Congress on the occasion. Anitha Kumari and Bheemaneri Shivappa, members of Zilla Panchayat, and Mallikarjuna Hakre, president of Sagar Taluk Panchayat, were present on the occasion.
