Criticising the BJP government at the Centre and the State for their “anti-people” and “pro-corporate” polices, farmers leader Kodihalli Chandrashekhar demanded that the recent amendments made through ordinances to the Karnataka Land Reforms Act 1961, Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee Act and The Essential Commodities Act be withdrawn.
Addressing a media conference here on Wednesday, he said that the amendments went against the common people, particularly the farming community, to serve the capitalists.
“By restricting the purchase of agricultural land by non-farmers, the Land Reforms Act so far protected the interests of farmers and kept the food security goal as the focus. With the new amendment, now anybody can purchase agricultural land. The corporate companies and individuals would purchase large tracts of agricultural land driving out the real farmers from their fields. It would be disastrous as it would have an adverse impact on the farmers as well as on national food security,” Mr. Chandrashekhar said.
The amendment to the APMC Act, he added, would allow big corporate companies to enter the APMC market and take control of it driving out small traders. “Once the capitalists begin controlling the APMC, the latter would no longer be beneficial for farmers. Even the UPA government led by Manmohan Singh had made an attempt to do this same thing with APMC Act. But, it could not do it fearing the wrath of farmers. The BJP government led by Narendra Modi at the Centre has done it disregarding the interests of farmers and small traders. The government appears to be serving corporate masters,” he said.
Referring to the amendment to the Essential Commodities Act, he said that with the amended Act in force, the authorities would lose power to act against illegal hoarding of stocks of essential commodities to create artificial scarcity.
He demanded that all the three amendments be withdrawn and the Acts restored to their previous state.
