Bengaluru, Aug 10 (IANS) Karnataka BJP President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra on Monday said there was no confusion within the party over protecting the land and interests of farmers in Bidadi, asserting that the BJP would continue to stand firmly with farmers.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Vijayendra said, “There is no confusion for the BJP when it comes to protecting the land and interests of Bidadi farmers. Both the BJP and JD(S) are fighting for the interests of farmers, and protecting farmers’ interests is our common objective.”
Clarifying the BJP’s position on the Bidadi padayatra, Vijayendra said there was no need for anyone to be confused about the issue.
He said he had spoken to JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy over the phone last week and discussed the possibility of the BJP and JD(S) jointly organising the padayatra in support of farmers.
“I spoke to Kumaraswamy over the phone last week and told him that the BJP is also with the farmers. We discussed the possibility of the BJP and JD(S) jointly conducting the padayatra. Kumaraswamy responded positively to the proposal,” Vijayendra said.
However, the JD(S) subsequently announced the date for the padayatra. Following this, Vijayendra said he held discussions with senior BJP leaders and decided that there should be no confusion over the party’s position.
“Since the JD(S) had already announced the date, we decided to extend symbolic support to the padayatra and continue our fight for farmers’ interests inside the legislature as well,” he said.
Vijayendra clarified that his absence from the padayatra was not due to any political reason.
He said several programmes scheduled earlier in connection with the Chikkaballapur and Kolar Legislative Council elections had been postponed multiple times. Following a request from local party leaders to hold the programmes on Sunday, he had to travel to Kolar and Chikkaballapur as per the revised schedule, he said.
BJP leaders, including Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka, participated in the padayatra and extended symbolic support, Vijayendra said.
“There is no confusion within the BJP on this issue. Whenever it comes to the farmers’ struggle, the BJP will always stand with farmers,” he said.
Vijayendra alleged that the state government was putting pressure on farmers who were leading the protest in Bidadi and attempting to persuade some of them to withdraw from the agitation in the name of providing compensation.
“We have received information that the state government is putting pressure on the farmers who are leading the struggle in Bidadi and is trying to make some of them withdraw from the protest in the name of compensation. We have already brought this issue to the notice of the concerned minister,” he said.
He clarified that the BJP’s decision to extend symbolic support did not mean that the party had withdrawn from the farmers’ movement.
“This does not mean that the BJP has backed out of the protest. Not just in Bidadi but across Karnataka, the BJP will fight for the protection of farmers’ land. Whether it is Bidadi, the airport project or any other issue concerning farmers’ land, the BJP will stand with farmers,” Vijayendra said.
He further alleged that during his recent visit to Chikkaballapur, he had also learnt about an attempt by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) to forcibly acquire farmers’ land in Shidlaghatta.
“The BJP will not tolerate any attempt to forcibly take away farmers’ land,” Vijayendra warned.
The farmers have been opposing the Bidadi project, which requires 9,600 acres of land spread across 25 villages.
The state government issued a preliminary notification in March last year for acquisition of 7,481 acres across nine villages in the region, with more notifications expected in the coming days.
The Bidadi Township Project, officially rebranded as the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT), is a proposed 7,400 to 9,600-acre mega-development located roughly 40 km from Bengaluru near Bidadi. Promoted as India’s first AI-powered “work-live-play” city, the project features an estimated investment of over Rs 18,000 crore.
–IANS
mka/dpb
