Centre not cooperating with Karnataka to solve farmers' woes: Shivakumar
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said that the Centre was not cooperating with the state to solve farmers' problems.
The ongoing winter session of the legislature will focus on the burning issues in the state, mainly the farmers, he said, and urged the opposition to join the government to pressurise the Centre over crop procurement and regional development.
"We don't know why the Centre is not cooperating with us to resolve the matter. We don't know why it is not releasing funds to procure crops under Minimum Support Price (MSP)," Shivakumar, who is also Congress state president, told reporters here.
The winter session of the Karnataka Legislature is in progress in Belagavi.
ALSO READ: Goa nightclub fire: Owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra fled to Phuket after tragedy, say police
The BJP has decided to stage a protest on Tuesday against the injustice to the farmers.
Reiterating that the session must meaningfully address these concerns, he said, "It is our wish that the Centre should release funds for the welfare of Kittur Karnataka and Kalyana Karnataka regions. We believe that the session will deliberate on these issues."
Shivakumar criticised the BJP's call for a demonstration, questioning the party's record in taking decisive steps on irrigation and crop procurement.
"Did the BJP ever take such firm decisions as we had on Upper Krishna Project (UKP), sugarcane and maize procurement," he asked.
The Deputy Chief Minister noted that the state had decided to buy a certain amount of maize and highlighted the gravity of the crisis in the sugar industry.
"Sugar factory owners are in tears..., factories are on the verge of closure," he said, adding that the government was "pressurising the Centre to bear the expenses together."
Pointing to the Centre's responsibility in deciding support prices, he said, "Who decides MSP? It's the Centre only. It didn't enhance sugar prices for the past 10 years. Why aren't they deciding to support the factories?"
He added that the farmers should be saved even if it results in loss.
Maize growers have been protesting, demanding procurement at Rs 3,000 per quintal.
The current MSP is Rs 2,400 per quintal, and farmers are seeking a Rs 600 bonus. Ahead of the session, the state government announced increasing maize procurement from 20 quintals per farmer to 50 quintals at Rs 2,400 per quintal.
Maintaining that the political fight should not be fragmented, he said the fight should not be by the BJP or farmers. It is the state that should raise voice against the Centre.
Shivakumar dismissed the BJP's protest plans, saying, "Since they don't have anything to say, they are protesting."
Meanwhile, reacting to Yathindra Siddaramaiah's statement that his father Siddaramaiah would complete five year term as Chief Minister, Shivakumar said, "I am glad about it".
Yathindra on Monday claimed that the Congress high command has said that there is no leadership change in the state and he believes that Siddaramaiah will continue as CM for five years.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka Governor gives assent to legislation against ‘honour killing’ in inter-caste marriages
Bengaluru: The government has brought into force the Karnataka Freedom of Choice in Marriage and Prevention and Prohibition of Crimes in the name of honour and tradition (Eva Nammava Eva Nammava) Act, 2026, intended to restrict ‘honour killings’ in inter-caste marriages.
According to The Indian Express, the legislation received assent from Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on April 9 and was officially notified in the state gazette on April 10. The law had been passed unanimously by the state legislature last month.
The Bill was proposed by the Congress government in the wake of caste-linked ‘honour killings’ in the state, including the December 21, 2025, murder near Hubli of a 20-year-old Lingayat woman by her father for marrying a man from another caste.
The phrase ‘Eva Nammava Eva Nammava’ in the title is in reference to the message of universal humanity that the Lingayat saint Basavanna espoused. Basavanna, who rebelled against the caste system to lay the foundation of the Lingayat faith system, an amalgamation of all castes, used the words meaning ‘he is a part of me’ to say all people are one.
Under the new law, crimes committed in the name of ‘honour’, including murder, assault, threats, and social boycott, are specifically addressed with stringent punishments. ‘Honour killing’ offences carry a minimum imprisonment of five years, while serious assaults attract at least three years in jail.
The new law defines the social boycott of inter-caste couples as forcible eviction to remote corners of villages, refusal to provide services, refusal to provide work, refusal to conduct business, denial of loans and admissions to schools, and makes it punishable.
In the case of ‘honour killings’ per se, the new law prescribes a minimum imprisonment of five years, and in the case of assaults, a prison term that is not less than three years for serious injury and two years for minor injuries.
The offences under the proposed law are cognisable and non-bailable, which means police can carry out arrests without court permissions after taking up a case.
The legislation follows several reported inter-caste relationship-related killings in Karnataka in 2025, including cases in Raichur and another involving 18-year-old Kavita.
The law to protect the freedom of choice in marriages is among several social bills that the Congress government has brought out in line with its policies for the backward and downtrodden communities in the state.
