DK Shivakumar's assurance that ended Karnataka farmer stir stops short of promising payments from sugar mill-owning politicians

Bengaluru: Congress leader and Karnataka water resources minister DK Shivakumar's intervention in the ongoing tussle between farmers and the chief minister has turned the situation around for the Karnataka government. Farmers have ended their day-and-night protest after he assured them that the government would look into their demands.

Farmers in Belagavi had begun fresh protests after chief minister Kumaraswamy failed to convince sugar mill owners to accept their demands. 

The government argued that it would give Rs 150 over and above the fair and remunerative price (FRP) per tonne of sugarcane and the sugar mill owners too should do the same. But they refused to comply and said they could pay only Rs 100.

Angry farmers had started their stir again in different parts of the state. Farmers threatened to intensify their protest when Shivakumar met with the sugarcane growers in Belagavi.

Shivakumar is said to have requested them to give the chief minister 15 days to chalk out a solution.

Most of the sugar mill owners are politicians and some in the government, including Ramesh Jarkiholi, who is the municipalities and urban local bodies minister, his brother, MLA Satish Jarkiholi, SR Patil, Shamanur Shivashankarappa, Siddu Nyamagouda and Eshwar Khandre. BJP leaders Umesh Katti and Prabhakar Kore own sugar mills, too. 

In fact, it is said that minister Ramesh Jarkiholi-owned sugar mill has to pay Rs 19 crore to sugarcane growers. But instead of speaking to the sugar mill owners, who are in Shivakumar's party, buying time from farmers looks like a plan and not concern.

Ramesh Jarkiholi had recently walked out of the meeting that was convened to discuss farmers’ issues. Is this an indication that Congress cannot convince its own leaders to pay what the farmers have been demanding?

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