Belagavi (KTK): The Karnataka Assembly was today adjourned twice after BJP MLAs demanded adjournment motion to discuss problems faced by farmers, including sugarcane price issue, as the winter session of the Legislature began.
Former Chief Minister and Opposition Leader, Jagadish Shettar sought adjournment motion and criticised the government for failing to keep its promise on payment to sugarcane growers made on the floor of the House in the last winter session.
The government had come under intense pressure to increase the State Advised Price (SAP) after a protesting sugarcane farmer committed suicide in front of the state secretariat during last winter session at Belagavi.
Sugarcane growers, who had rejected the price of Rs 2,500 a tonne fixed by the government, had staged protests, demanding that it be raised to Rs 3,500 per tonne.
The government is neglecting farmers' problems even as they are on the streets, Shettar alleged.
Speaker Kagodu Thimappa said he would not allow adjournment motion, but the issue could be discussed under a different rule. Not satisfied with Thimappa's assurance, BJP members who were staging protest in the well of the House raised slogans against the government.
Thereafter, Thimappa adjourned the proceedings till 3 PM.
Earlier also, Thimappa adjourned the House for ten minutes after he assured the members that he would take up the issue after the Question Hour.
Intervening in the matter, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the intentions of the opposition is “nefarious” to derail democratic norms by demanding adjournment motion before the Question Hour.
Objecting to Siddaramaiah's remarks, BJP raised slogans which prompted Thimappa to adjourn the House for ten minutes.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders and party workers staged protest outside Suvarna Soudha, the state secretariat building here, to highlight the government's ‘failure' in protecting interests of farmers. The protest was led by BJP's National Vice President and former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa.
BJP is also seeking resignation of four ministers - H S Mahadeva Prasad, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Qamarul Islam and K J George for alleged land grab and failure of the Siddaramaiah government in preventing sexual assaults on women and children.
