K'taka Council rejects adjournment motion on farmers issue

Bangalore, June 24 (UNI) The Karnataka Legislative Council today rejected an adjournment motion, given notice of by the Opposition Congress, on the police firing on farmers during their agitation for fertilisers on June ten at Haveri town, in which one person was killed and nine others received bullet injuries.

Moving an adjournment motion on the issue under Rule 59, which forced voting on the motion, Mr Veeranna Mathikatti of the Congress said the situation did not warrant police firing on the innocent farmers.

Narrating the plight of farmers struggling to get fertilisers in 13 districts which got sufficient rains to start farming activities, he said lack of coordination among officials in the Agriculture department had contributed to the short supply of fertilisers.

Charging the BJP Government with having betrayed farmers by not responding to their grievances, Mr Mathikatti urged the State Government to take the Opposition parties into confidence while solving their problems. ''The Chief Minister is trying to blame the Union Government, instead of taking proper measures to solve the problem,'' he said.

Former Minister and senior JD(S) member Basavaraj Horatti, who supported the adjournment motion, accused the State Government of trying to shield the police officers responsible for the firing. To cover up the mindless brutality unleashed on farmers and their failure, police have arrested over 180 innocent persons, he alleged.

Congress members V R Sudarshan and B S Ugrappa, Y S V Datta (JD-S) and Nada Gouda (JD-U) also supported the adjournment motion and demanded that the Chair concede their demands.

Home Minister Dr V S Acharya, also the leader of the House, opposed the motion and announced that the Government was ready to discuss the matter under a different rule. The State Government had already ordered a judicial probe into the incident, he recalled.

Mr Thippanna, who was in the Chair, rejected the Opposition demand and said he would allow a discussion on the issue under Rule 68 and adjourned the House for lunch.

UNI MV RR AS1723