Government responsible for farmer suicides due to microfinance harassment: Mukhyamantri Chandru
Bengaluru: Aam Aadmi Party’s state president, Dr Mukhyamantri Chandru, has held the Karnataka government directly responsible for the rise in farmer suicides caused by illegal practices of microfinance institutions. In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, he urged immediate and stringent legal action against such entities.
Dr Chandru stated that these illegal microfinance companies, with the alleged support of local politicians and the police, are operating outside the purview of RBI regulations and Indian laws. They are accused of using criminal tactics, including unlawful recoveries, threats, and public humiliation, to enforce repayment of exorbitant interest rates. This, he said, highlights the failure of the state police department.
He further criticised local cooperative societies for not providing low-interest loans to farmers, claiming they are under the control of influential local politicians. On the other hand, government schemes meant to provide financial assistance for crop losses have not reached farmers effectively. This has forced many farmers to turn to illegal microfinance institutions, creating an environment that drives them to take extreme steps, he added.
Dr Chandru expressed disappointment over the inaction of the state police and the central Enforcement Directorate (ED). He alleged that if strict action had been taken against these companies earlier, hundreds of farmer lives could have been saved. Instead, the government and opposition have been busy with baseless political blame games, which have now led to these tragic suicides.
He demanded that the government immediately implement strict legal measures against these financial entities and recommend action by the ED. He also stressed the need for urgent measures to prevent further exploitation and suicides among farmers.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
