Karnataka govt's amendment to Land Reforms Act will benefit rich, hurt farmers: Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 16 (ANI): Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said that the state government's amendment to the Land Reforms Act will benefit the rich and hurt the interests of the farmers.
"@CMofKarnataka @bsybjp's amendment to historical #LandReforms Act is an attempt to stifle
@INCIndia's revolutionary policy which had aimed to empower the actual tiller of the land. The amendment will enable the rich and not the farmer to own the land," he tweeted.
"@CMofKarnataka is betraying farmers by repealing Sections 79A which prescribes income limit to purchase farmland, 79B which prohibits non-farmers to purchase agricultural land, 79C which imposes fine if a fake affidavit is filed, 80 which prohibits the transfer of agricultural land to non-farmers," he added.
Siddaramaiah further said that: "More than 25 lakh tenants and their families were benefited from the implementation of the Land Reforms Act 1974. This had ensured equity & social justice. By amending the act, @BJP4Karnataka is undoing all the efforts."
"@INCKarnataka will protest against the amendment to the Land Reforms Act, both inside and outside the assembly. We will take this issue to the grassroots level and expose all the anti-farmer policies of @BJP4India," he added.
He called the amendment anti-farmer and anti-backward classes.
"The BJP government in Karnataka amended the Land Reforms Act 1961 and passed the Ordinance on July 13. It was decided by the government to amend the said Act on June 11 in a Cabinet meeting. We from the opposition party opposed it. This amendment is anti-farmer and anti-backward classes," Siddaramaiah said.
"In the situation of COVID crisis, we thought that the government will not pass the Ordinance. By using this pandemic situation government has shown its dictatorship rule," he added.
Earlier last month, the Shivamogga District unit of the Congress led by party veteran Kagodu Thimmappa had staged a protest against the state government's proposal to amend the Land Reform Act, which will allow non-agriculturist to buy farmland. (ANI)