Karnataka: FKCCI to go in for state-wide agitation

Bangalore, July 19: The Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) today threatened to launch a statewide agitation if the state government failed to withdraw the APMC Act Amendment Bill, passed in the Assembly.

Talking to newspersons here, FKCCI President S S Patil alleged that the Government, which had promised to consult FKCCI and APMCs before taking a decision, had failed to do so and had moved the Bill in the Assembly in a hasty manner.

''It may be due to the Centre's pressure, but the Bill should be withdrawn immediately and should be adopted only after holding a meeting,'' he demanded.

Claiming that today's APMC bandh was a success, he said FKCCI would intensify its agitation if the Chief Minister, who assured in the morning to convene a meeting of all concerned, failed to do so within a week's time.

Mr Patil alleged that the farmers had no grouse against the APMCs, but the Government had passed the Bill to facilitate multinational companies, without taking into consideration the hardship farmers and traders would face by the entry of MNCs and big corporate giants. ''In Kerala and Gujarat, the State Governments were daring enough to decline to pass the Bill, despite direction from the Centre. But in Karnataka, it was done bowing to pressure, why so,'' he asked.

Meanwhile, the Bangalore APMC Yard Action Committee Vice-Chairman Ramesh Chandra Lahoti told sources that the bandh was total and all trading operations were suspended for the day.

''If the State Government fails to convene the meeting, no other option is left for us, but to intensify our agitation with indefinite bandh,'' he added.

Mr Lahoti said that during a meeting with the Chief Minister, it was demanded to set up a Joint Committee to go into the details of the Amendment mooted to the Act.

UNI