Farmers, dalit leaders flay govt. over Devanahalli land acquisition issue, call it betrayal of trust

Farmers, civil society activists, and dalit leaders came down heavily on the State government’s decision to go ahead with the acquisition of nearly 1,700 acres of fertile land in Devanahalli for an aerospace and defence corridor.

They have cautioned the government that with farmers agitating in different parts of the State for various reasons, the Devanahalli land acquisition issue could emerge as a flashpoint for larger rural unrest.

Speaking at a press conference here on Friday, Badagalpura Nagendra, president of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, accused both the Congress and BJP of pushing corporate-driven development at the cost of farmers.

“Be it the BJP or the Congress, the governments may change, but policies do not. They are two sides of the same coin—both pro-corporate and inimical to farmers’ interests,” he said.

Mr. Nagendra traced the roots of the current policy direction to India becoming a signatory to the World Trade Organisation agreement in 1995. “We had warned of the dangers back then, and now our fears are coming true,” he added. The farmers were now facing the very threats they had predicted, said Mr. Nagendra, who accused the government of using its electoral mandate to push through ‘anti-farmers’ policies.

He criticised the Siddaramaiah-led government for reneging on its promise to withdraw the land acquisition initiated by the previous BJP government. When Mr. Siddaramaiah was in the opposition, he opposed the move and assured farmers that the preliminary notification would be scrapped. But the government has now gone ahead and issued the final notification, said Mr. Nagendra, adding that failure to rescind the decision would cost Mr. Siddaramaiah politically.

Farmer activist Chukki Nanjundaswamy pointed out that while the government claims to have delivered on its pre-election guarantee schemes, it had failed to uphold its promises to farmers. She said the decision to pursue the project despite objections from a majority of affected farmers raised serious questions about the State’s development priorities.

Guruprasad Keregodu, leader of the Dalit Sangharsha Samiti, said, “We are not against industrialisation. But why should everything be around Bengaluru, a city that floods with just one heavy rain? Why not spread industries to northern districts like Yadgir, Bidar, or Koppal? That would decentralise development and help achieve a balanced regional development, he added.

Calling on the Chief Minister to honour his commitments made before the elections, Mr. Guruprasad said, “Mr. Siddaramaiah had adopted a high moral ground in public life. If he does not stick to his word, it will be seen as a betrayal of farmers’ trust.”

The leaders warned that Devanahalli could become the ‘dry keg’ of rural agitation in Karnataka, and said protests would intensify if the government failed to withdraw the acquisition proposal.

Actor Prakash Raj, Karnataka Pranta Raitha Sangha district secretary Jagadish Surya, farmers representing various groups, and others were present.