Farmers from two villages of Ballari district in Karnataka have sought Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s intervention to get compensation for their land which was acquired by the Congress Government in State. Around 500 farmers from Veniveerapura and Janikunte Villages on the outskirts of Ballari have sent a memorandum to Rahul Gandhi, who is currently taking up farmers issues with his samvad padayatra.
Many in the State ruling party feel it is an embarrassment to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who is playing backward classes appeasement politics to the hilt. The farmers lost their land when the Government took it to set up a national Mineral development corporation plant. The land was acquired by Karnataka Industrial Development Board (KIADB). According the memorandum the KIADB has acquired around 2,700 acres of land after the State high level committee cleared the NMDC project. According to the petition, even after 11 months the land compensation has not been paid.
The memorandum said “Your mother, Sonia Gandhi, got elected from the Ballari lok Sabha seat and Karnataka is now ruled by the Congress. A visit to our villages will help you understand the problems of the farmers who have been suffering under the Karnataka land Reforms Act.” However, State Youth Congress president Rizwan Arshad said there must be some technical issue in giving them compensation the matter will be resolved soon.