Bangalore: Former prime minister and JD(S) leader H. D. Deve Gowda has lent his support to the agitation launched by freedom fighter H. S. Doreswamy and JD(S) former MLA A. T. Ramaswamy against land-grabbing in the State.
He appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, against evicting poor landless farmers who had encroached upon “negligible” portion of government land for their livelihood, and asked the government to take action against the “land-sharks” who have allegedly encroached thousands of acres of government land.
Addressing a press conference in Bangalore on Saturday, Gowda said he wanted to join the struggle lead by Doreswamy, but stayed away as his involvement would give the issue a political colour. He said, Doreswamy being a person who dislikes being associated with any political outfit, he stayed away from joining him in the protest. “However, I do believe that land-grabbing has to be stopped,” he said.
Protesters with H. S. Doreswamy on an indefinite sit-in against land-grab in front of Town Hall, Bangalore.
H. S. Doreswamy is on an indefinite sit-in with farmer-activists of the Anti-Land Grabbing Action Committee in front of Town Hall for the past 15 days.
Speaking to Nasheman, A. T. Ramaswamy, said “around 20 thousand acres of land has been encroached illegally by land grabbers in around Bangalore, and over 4 lakh acres of government land across the state has been encroached by producing fake documentation.”
He demanded an immediate legal action against such criminals under the Goonda Act and to form special courts to take quick action against such cases based on his ‘Ramaswamy Joint Legislature Committee on Encroachments in Bangalore Urban District, 2007’ report.
Doreswamy has warned the State government that if no measures are taken in a week, he and his fellow protesters would intensify their agitation.
He said, “We give seven days to the Government to respond, failing which we will intensify our fight. We are not afraid of going to jail to save public land from land-grabbers.”
The protestors told Nasheman, that agitation against land-grabbing will continue if no action against land grabbers are not taken.