The farmers of Devanahalli have been fighting against forcible land acquisition for almost three years now. The initial notification for acquisition was given by the then BJP government and the Congress had vowed to withdraw it if it came to power. However, it has become just another false promise made by the current ruling party. The Congress government has been continuing the process of land acquisition backtracking on its promise despite severe resistance by the farmers. The situation turned grim when the Congress government went on to issue the second of the three notifications to the farmers, notifying them to vacate their lands in thirty days and hand them over to the Government.
Enraged by this, on 7th November, the farmers assembled in front of the residence of KH Muniyappa, the minister of food and civil supplies and the MLA of Devanahalli. An indefinite sit-in was started. They agitated against the government’s move calling it an anti-farmers move, raising slogans against the government and the corporates it serves. The notification issued by the government was burnt in defiance. The matter immediately garnered attention from the media and the minister was forced to talk to the cabinet ministers as well as the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB). A notification was passed on the very day by the government directing that no further proceedings will be conducted regarding the land acquisition till further instructions are given to KIADB from the government. No clear decision has been taken yet about completely withdrawing from the land acquisition. However, the farmers were successful in demanding and securing an interim relief for now.
