BENGALURU: With bypolls around the corner, ‘sugarcane politics’ are likely to steal the limelight in Mandya, which is likely to spell trouble for the BJP government.
Though the BJP government and disqualified MLA Narayana Gowda had brought in grants to launch various development works ahead of the elections, the drop in demand for sugarcane in Mandya, considered the sugar bowl of Karnataka, is likely to cast a shadow over the BJP.
Farmers who have been affected by the closure of Mysugar and Pandavapura factories had demanded that transportation costs be taken care of so as to send their produce to factories outside the district.
The farmers have suffered due to drought for three consecutive years, and the closure of these factories has added to their woes. The four private sugar factories have not been able to take on the extra produce, as they have limited crushing capacities. Though BJP leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister C Ashwanth Nayayan and District In-charge Minister R Ashok had assured them of transportation costs being met, nothing was done.
Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) leader Darshan Puttannaiah had approached CM Yediyurappa regarding the plight of the farmers, and the latter had also assured that a technical team would take steps to commission Mysugar and Pandavapura factories. MP Sumalatha had also appealed to the CM, urging him to address this agrarian crisis. But, nothing much was seen on ground.
Srinivasa, a farmer from Hulevana village who had grown sugarcane in four acres, had committed suicide for not getting a permit to harvest his 14-month-old cane, sending shockwaves across the farming community.
Vasanth Kumar, a farmer, told TNIE that the government should have taken a serious look into this issue, as thousands of farmers have grown sugarcane in lakhs of acres. Another cane farmer Krishna, said ,“The government’s failure to pay transport charges will become a political issue here,” said Krishna.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders, who are open to break into KR Pet by taking advantage of a divided Opposition, is fearing that their task will now be hard due the farmers’ issues. BJP leader Keragodu Shivanna said the party alone cannot be held responsible for the crisis, as previous governments too failed in addressing the issues. However, he fears that this could affect the party’s chances in the district.