The 7th Karnataka State Conference of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), a frontal organisation of the Communist Party of India (CPI), was inaugurated by AIKS national president Ravula Venkaiah and National General Secretary Atul Kumar Anjaan in Kalaburagi on Monday.
Earlier, hundreds of farmers who had arrived in the city from different parts of the State marched in a procession raising slogans against the ‘anti-farmer and pro-corporate’ policies of the BJP-led Union and State governments.
In his inaugural address, Mr. Anjaan recalled the year-long historic farmers’ movement on the borders of Delhi and the Union Government’s efforts to suppress by labelling it as one sponsored by terror outfits.
“Despite all efforts by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Government and BJP party to defame and defeat the struggle on the border of Delhi, the farmers triumphed. The Modi government, which was hell-bent on serving its corporate masters, had to, though unwillingly, bow before the farmers’ collective strength,” Mr. Anjaan said.
He called the BJP and other right-wing organisations’ efforts to flare up communal tension among the people a well-thought-out design intended to project non-issues as real issues and cover up real issues so that the rulers could continue their exploitation and plunder without any resistance.
“The country is reeling under a serious economic crisis. Owing to the erroneous policies of the Union Government, the prices of essential commodities, including petrol, diesel, cooking gas and cooking oil, are skyrocketing. But, Sangh Parivar outfits, including BJP and RSS, are trying to divert people’s attention from real issues by spreading communal hate and triggering communal clashes,” he said. He specifically condemned Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai for his support towards communal forces in the State.
Siddanagouda Patil, editor of Hosathu Weekly, warned the farmers of losing their livelihood options, particularly the agricultural land, if they did not get united and protest against the land-grabbing legislations of the State and Union governments.
“The successive governments have been trying to systematically grab land from small and marginal farmers and give them to big corporate houses. They are amending existing legislations and coming up with new ones for the purpose,” he said, calling upon the farmers to reject outright the recently amended Land Reforms Act by the Karnataka government.
The inaugural ceremony was presided by AIKS Karnataka State President Kariyanna. CPI National council member P.V. Lokesh, AIKS State secretaries Moula Mulla and K.S. Janardhan, senior HC advocate P. Vilas Kumar, CPI district secretary Bhimashankar Madiyal, AIYF Karnataka State president Harish Bala and others took part in the event.
