Published : Feb 12, 2024, 5:28 PM IST
Bengaluru (Karnataka): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday termed the arrest of farmers of his state by the Madhya Pradesh government as "highly condemnable".
''The arrest of Hubballi farmers by the Madhya Pradesh government, as they were heading to a protest in Delhi tomorrow, is highly condemnable'' CM Siddaramaiah said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
''I demand that the Madhya Pradesh government immediately release all the farmers from our state, who have been arrested and allow them to participate in the protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi tomorrow. Although it is the government of Madhya Pradesh that has made the arrests, it is clear that the criminal brain behind this act is the central BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,'' the Chief Minister alleged.
''By arresting and intimidating them, the farmers' struggle cannot be suppressed. Such repression might only lead more farmers to take to the streets, but the struggle of the sons and daughters of the soil will not cease. If the central government truly cares about peace and order, it should immediately meet the demands of the farmers and resolve the issue, rather than repressing and brutalizing them to silence,'' Siddaramaiah said.
"Whether it's at the center or in the states, whenever BJP comes to power, history bears witness that their first act of aggression is against the farmers. The first time BJP came to power in Karnataka, farmers asking for fertilizer were ruthlessly shot down by the government led by B.S. Yediyurappa. Several farmers died due to the violence inflicted on protesting farmers in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh by Narendra Modi's government at the center. Looking at the current actions of Narendra Modi's government, it seems their main aim is to intimidate the farmers into submission,'' the Chief Minister alleged.