Tumakuru, July 29 — The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a large-scale protest in Tumakuru on Tuesday, accusing the Karnataka Congress government of failing to ensure timely and adequate fertilizer supply to farmers. The protest rally, which culminated at BGS Circle, witnessed the participation of thousands of farmers and BJP workers.
BJP leaders alleged that despite the Centre providing ample fertilizer stocks, the state government had failed in distributing them efficiently. Slogans like “Down with the anti-farmer Congress government” and “Congress must go” echoed through the rally.
BJP State President B.Y. Vijayendra lambasted the state’s Agriculture Minister, blaming his negligence for forcing farmers to take to the streets. “A government that ignores the tears of farmers has no future in Karnataka,” he declared. He also criticized Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for his inaction despite favorable monsoon predictions, claiming that neither the CM nor the Agriculture Minister had visited the affected districts or held ground-level reviews.
Vijayendra further alleged that instead of engaging with Prime Minister Modi or Union Ministers for assistance, the Chief Minister and Deputy CM frequently travel to Delhi to meet Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. “Who is really running the state?” he questioned, while recalling former CM B.S. Yediyurappa’s pro-farmer track record.
Other senior leaders present at the protest included former Minister Hartalu Halappa, MLAs Suresh Gowda and G.B. Jyothi Ganesh, MLC Chidananda Gowda, and several Kisan Morcha and district-level functionaries.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara responded from Bengaluru, stating that the Agriculture Ministry has issued strict directives to prevent illegal fertilizer sales at inflated prices. He assured that efforts are underway to increase supply and urged the Centre to ensure timely allocation of Karnataka’s fertilizer quota.
