Bengaluru: BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, R. Ashoka, on Friday launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over the ongoing farmers’ protest in north Karnataka, where sugarcane growers are demanding a fair price of ₹3,500 per tonne, reports The Week.
Ashoka accused the Chief Minister of failing to govern and relying only on blaming the Centre for the crisis. “For seven days, thousands of sugarcane farmers have been protesting on the streets, but CM Siddaramaiah has just one solution — blame the Centre,” Ashoka said in a post on social media platform X.
He also reminded Siddaramaiah of his earlier stance when in Opposition. “When he was in Opposition, Siddaramaiah gave long speeches. But now, as Chief Minister, he hides behind excuses and abandons the farmers. If you can’t govern, resign and quit,” he said.
The remarks came a day after Siddaramaiah wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that the root cause of the crisis lies in central policies, including the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) formula, the stagnating Minimum Support Price (MSP) for sugar, export restrictions, and limited ethanol offtake from sugar-based feedstock. The Chief Minister has sought an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss what he described as “a serious situation” arising from the farmers’ agitation.
In his post, Ashoka further demanded that the state government announce a ₹500 per tonne incentive above the FRP, create a ₹5,000-crore revolving fund, and take immediate action instead of holding press conferences.
Farmers have been protesting for over a week at Gurlapur Cross in Mudalagi taluk of Belagavi district, with the movement spreading to other parts of north Karnataka, including Belagavi, Bagalkote, Vijayapura, and Haveri.
As the protest intensified, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah called for a meeting with farmer leaders and representatives of sugar factories on Friday to discuss possible solutions.
