Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel Pralhad Joshi on Monday said the incident in which women farmers allegedly thrashed officials with brooms during the Joint Measurement Survey (JMC) for the proposed Bidadi Township project was a "warning bell" for the Karnataka government.
In a statement, Joshi said the agitation by Bidadi farmers was not an ordinary protest but an expression of the deep anguish of farmers determined to protect their agricultural land, which he described as their "mother earth" and source of livelihood. He accused the Karnataka government of attempting to acquire farmers' land in the name of the proposed Bidadi Township and termed its approach "high-handed."
According to him, the anger displayed by women farmers reflected growing resentment over the government's land acquisition plans. Joshi alleged that the government's handling of the project represented the "height of misgovernance" and questioned the purpose of a township that, he claimed, would come at the cost of farmers' livelihoods without their consent.
Condemning the alleged use of police force during the protests, the Union Minister said it was unacceptable to intimidate farmers or attempt to take possession of their land through coercion. He warned that the government was mistaken if it believed it could acquire land by threatening farmers or deploying police.
Reiterating his support for the agitation, Joshi said the protest was not confined to Bidadi alone but reflected the sentiments of people across the state. He maintained that farmers have a rightful claim over their land and that no land should be acquired without their consent.
He also extended his party's full support to the ongoing farmers' protest. It can be recalled that Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy earlier warned the Karnataka government and the police against what he termed the "misuse" of law enforcement to suppress the ongoing agitation against the proposed Bidadi Township project, even as government officials faced stiff resistance from farmers and women protesters during a land survey attempt in Mandalahalli village of Bidadi taluk.
The incident occurred when officials arrived to conduct a Joint Measurement Survey (JMC), a preliminary step in the proposed land acquisition process. Farmers, who have been protesting the township project for nearly 500 days, refused to allow the survey and alleged that the government had suddenly initiated the exercise despite sustained opposition.
As officials attempted to proceed with the survey, scores of farmers surrounded their vehicle, blocking the exercise. Women protesters, carrying brooms, demonstrated against the officials, striking the vehicle and allegedly attempting to assault them with brooms, forcing the survey team to retreat amid heavy protests.