HD Kumaraswamy accuses CM of avoiding responsibility on sugarcane farmers' issues
Mysuru: Union Minister for Large and Medium Industries, HD Kumaraswamy has accused the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of shirking responsibility on the sugarcane farmers' issues and trying to avoid accountability by writing to the Prime Minister. Speaking to the media ahead of the Disha Committee meeting in Mysuru on Friday, Kumaraswamy alleged that the government has no intention of addressing the plight of farmers and is instead passing the buck to the Centre.
"The Chief Minister has written a letter to the Prime Minister because he wants to avoid responsibility. The government is failing to respond to the distress of the farmers, and every issue is being shifted to the Centre. This is the work of a government that is busy avoiding responsibility," Kumaraswamy said.
He further questioned why the Chief Minister did not take direct action to resolve the issues at hand. "If the Chief Minister was willing, this is a small issue that could be solved within minutes. But instead, the CM is playing politics on every matter. Farmers are facing problems, and the CM has written to the Prime Minister for help. Which state in the country has the Prime Minister had to intervene to solve the sugarcane growers' problems?" he asked.
Kumaraswamy also expressed his frustration with the government's approach to resolving the sugarcane farmers’ crisis, emphasizing that the CM could directly take decisions in favor of the farmers rather than playing politics. "The Chief Minister can take immediate decisions in favor of sugarcane farmers. Instead, he is passing the blame to the Centre, possibly due to pressure from local MLAs in Belagavi and the sugar lobby. But he must prioritize the interests of farmers and not succumb to such pressures," he stated.
In response to media reports suggesting that JD(S) leaders own sugar factories in Belagavi, Kumaraswamy clarified that no leader in his party owns sugar mills. "I've seen reports that JD(S) leaders own sugar factories in Belagavi. Let me clarify, none of our leaders own a sugar factory. In the past, Bandappa Kashampur had one, but he has sold it recently. Therefore, there are no sugar factories in the hands of JD(S) leaders," he said.
On the ongoing speculation about a leadership change in the Congress and the so-called "November revolution," Kumaraswamy was dismissive. "There will be no revolution in November, and there will be no upheaval either. I know Siddaramaiah’s character well, having worked with him when he was in our party. There won’t be any change. The talk about a leadership change is just political theater," he stated.
Reacting to DK Shivakumar’s statement about Congress returning to power in Karnataka in 2028, Kumaraswamy sarcastically remarked, "I know what happened to those who said 'we'll be in power in 20 or 10 years.' Let’s wait and see what happens in 2028. Who knows what the future holds? Let them talk, and we will see," he said with a chuckle.
Kumaraswamy also commented on the controversy surrounding Siddaramaiah’s proposal to turn Mysuru into a 'Greater Mysuru,' calling it a mere political rivalry between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar. "This is just a competition between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar. Siddaramaiah is proposing 'Greater Mysuru' while DK Shivakumar wants 'Greater Bengaluru.' Neither will happen. This is just a waste of time," he remarked, dismissing the proposal as political maneuvering rather than a genuine development plan.
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Jai Bhim: Slogan that energised Dalits was first given at this central Maharashtra village
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (PTI): 'Jai Bhim': These two words have come to symbolise the awakening and empowerment of the Dalit community in independent India, but not many people know how it originated.
The slogan, which also encapsulates the immense reverence in which Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is held, was first raised at the Makranpur Parishad, a conference organised at Makranpur village in Kannad teshil of today's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district in Maharashtra.
Ambedkar, the chief architect of India's Constitution, died on December 6, 1956.
Bhausaheb More, the first president of the Scheduled Castes Federation of Marathwada, organised the first Makranpur Parishad on December 30, 1938.
Dr Ambedkar spoke at the conference and asked the people not to support the princely state of Hyderabad under which much of central Maharashtra then fell, said Assistant Commissioner of Police Pravin More, Bhausaheb's son.
"When Bhausaheb stood up to speak, he said every community has its own deity and they greet each other using the name of that deity. Dr Ambedkar showed us the path of progress, and he is like God to us. So henceforth, we should say 'Jai Bhim' while meeting each other. The people responded enthusiastically. A resolution accepting 'Jai Bhim' as the community's slogan was also passed," More told PTI.
"My father came in contact with Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in his early years. Bhausaheb was aware of the atrocities the Nizam state committed on Dalits. He told Ambedkar about these atrocities, including the pressure to convert. Dr Ambedkar was strongly against these atrocities, and he decided to attend the 1938 conference," he said.
As Ambedkar was against the princely states, he was banned from giving speeches in the Hyderabad state but was allowed to travel through its territories. The Shivna river formed the border between Hyderabad and British India. Makranpur was chosen as the venue for the first conference because it was on the banks of Shivna but lay in the British territory, ACP More said.
The stage made of bricks, from where Dr Ambedkar addressed the conference, still stands. The conference is organised on December 30 every year to carry forward Ambedkar's thought, and the tradition was not discontinued even in 1972 when Maharashtra experienced one of the worst droughts in it history.
"My grandmother pledged her jewellery for the conference expenses. People from Khandesh, Vidarbha and Marathwada attended it. Despite a ban imposed by the Nizam's police, Ambedkar's followers crossed the river to attend the event," said ACP More.
"This is the 87th year of Makranpur Parishad. We have deliberately retained the venue as it helps spread Ambedkar's thought in rural areas," he added.
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