Bengaluru: Congress workers, farmers protest against controversial farm laws

News Network

January 20, 2021

Bengaluru, Jan 20: A large number of Congress workers and farmers on Wednesday descended on the city to protest the contentious farm laws of the Centre and condemn the hike in fuel prices.

Commuters faced a harrowing time due to traffic snarls caused by agitations at various places. Elaborate security arrangements were made in view of the anti-farmers law protests called by the Congress and roads barricaded.

Following a call given by Congress state chief D K Shivakumar to lay siege to the Raj Bhavan here, party workers arrived from various parts of the state.

They have planned to stage protests and later submit a memorandum to Governor Vajubhai Vala. Before heading to the protest venue at freedom park, Congress state chief D K Shivakumar accused the state government of stopping the protesters from reaching the state capital.

"I have been receiving calls saying the police have been stopping farmers and Congress workers since last night," Shivakumar alleged in a video message. He appealed to those who were prevented from proceeeding to the city, to hold protest by blocking the highways.

"Reach the Bengaluru Railway station and we all shall lay siege to the Raj Bhavan," he added.

Meanwhile, the BJP ridiculed the protests and alleged that the Congress, which had been responsible for the farmers' suicide throughout its regime, was staging a drama by opposing the pro-farmer laws introduced by the Centre.

"Farmer suicides would not have escalated if you had been pro-farmer, isn't it?" the saffron party asked in a tweet.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

‘Nothing for Karnataka’: DKS slams Union Budget, flags Bengaluru neglect

News Network

February 1,2026

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday criticised the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, claiming it offered no tangible benefit to the state.

Though he said he was yet to study the budget in detail, Shivakumar asserted that Karnataka had gained little from it. “There is no benefit for our state from the central budget. I was observing it. They have now named a programme after Mahatma Gandhi, after repealing the MGNREGA Act that was named after him,” he said.

Speaking to reporters here, the Deputy Chief Minister demanded the restoration of MGNREGA, and made it clear that the newly enacted rural employment scheme — VB-G RAM G — which proposes a 60:40 fund-sharing formula between the Centre and the states, would not be implemented in Karnataka.

“I don’t see any major share for our state in this budget,” he added.

Shivakumar, who also holds charge of Bengaluru development, said there were high expectations for the city from the Union Budget. “The Prime Minister calls Bengaluru a ‘global city’, but what has the Centre done for it?” he asked.

He also drew attention to the problems faced by sugar factories, particularly those in the cooperative sector, alleging a lack of timely decisions and support from the central government.

Noting that the Centre has the authority to fix the minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce, Shivakumar said the Union government must take concrete steps to protect farmers’ interests.

Comments