'Don't misguide': Kumaraswamy blunts Congress attack as JDS backs Karnataka BJP's land law

As JDS' support to BJP in the Karnataka assembly to pass the land reforms bill raised eyebrows, former CM Kumaraswamy dismissed the claims that the said bill is anti-farmer. In a clarification on Wednesday, he said that the BJP government in the state had worked on the suggestions made by his party on the bill and it was only after that they supported the bill. Stating that the contentious part about the bill was section 79(a) and 79(b), Kumaraswamy warned critics against 'misguiding' people and added that the above-mentioned sections have been removed. 

Kumaraswamy said, "Whoever is calling this bill as anti-farmers, I would like to ask them how it is anti-farmers? I would like to ask those farmers association. I would also like to ask those people who branded our party as anti-farmers? How it is anti-farmer? I and Deve Gowda protested against this bill, we demanded them to withdraw the bill. In the previous assembly session, I had given a few suggestions to the government, on my suggestions whatever they(BJP) had changed they had taken back. Yesterday's bill was corrected bill and they have removed removing 79(a) and 79(b). Don't try to misguide the people. They had taken my suggestion and changed the bill."

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Claiming that the new land bill is a 'body blow' to the farmers of the state, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that it opens 'floodgates' for the acquisition of farmers' land by non-agriculturists. Surjewala claimed that the passing of the legislation proves that BJP favours ' builders' lobby' over the interest of farmers. 

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Karnataka's Land Reforms Bill passed

In the 75-member Upper House of the state legislature, the ruling BJP has 31 seats while Congress and JD(S) have 29 and 14 MLCs respectively. The Karnataka Land Reforms (Second Amendment) Bill, 2020 was tabled in the Legislative Council to replace an ordinance that was promulgated owing to the failure of the state government to get the legislation cleared in the Monsoon session. While this bill was initially opposed by both Congress and JD(S), the HD Dewe Gowda-led party extended support to the legislation on Tuesday. Thus, 37 MLCs from BJP and JD(S) voted in favour of the bill while Congress' 21 members voted against it.

Amending the Karnataka Land Reforms Act, 1961, the aforesaid bill eases restrictions on buying of agricultural land. For instance, Sections 79(A), 79(B) and 79(C) have been repealed removing the income limit for purchasing land and allowing non-agriculturists to buy agricultural land. The Congress party had opposed the bill citing that the agricultural land might be used for real estate purposes. The support from JDS came days after former CM Kumaraswamy slammed Siddaramaiah and said that he would have continued to be CM if he had chosen BJP instead of Congress.

Kumaraswamy had remarked, "The goodwill that I had earned from the people of the state in 2006-07 (as CM) and which I had maintained for 12 years despite the big campaign against me for not transferring power to BJP, everything got destroyed by joining hands with the Congress. I might have been Chief Minister till now if I had chosen BJP."

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