JD(S) supported BJP to clear land Bill, says former CM Kumaraswamy

Amid accusations of a secret deal between the BJP and the JD(S) after the clearance of the "controversial" Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Act-2020, JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said his party has supported the government after it agreed to withdraw some of the "dangerous" provisions in the law.

The Congress and the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha charged Kumaraswamy with striking a deal with the BJP.

The JD(S), opposed to the said amendment in the monsoon session, supported the Bill in the winter session in the Karnataka Legislative Council where it was held up after being cleared in the Assembly.

The amendment gives anyone the right to buy farmland previously restricted only to those with agricultural background.

"JD(S) has supported the government after it agreed to withdraw some of the provisions we were opposed to," Kumaraswamy told reporters in Kolar.

He explained that he and his father and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda had opposed the Bill initially but after the changes were introduced in the amendment, the party supported it.

"We are the one responsible for the changes in the law.During the previous Assembly session, the government decided to drop some of the dangerous provisions in the proposed amendment after I drew their attention to it," Kumaraswamy claimed.

The JD(S) leader said his main contention was that the government previously wanted to increase the purchasing of land in terms of units allowing a family to purchase up to 248 acres.

On his suggestion, the government decided in the previous session to continue with the earlier provision of allowing a family to hold 10 units of land.

The way section 79-A and 79-B of the KLD (Amendment)-2020 has been misused due to which lakhs of farmers are in distress.

"I had clearly said in the Karnataka Vidhana Soudha to give up 79-A and 79-B from the KLD-2020," Kumaraswamy said.

Hitting back at those who criticized him for the "secret deal" he sought to know why they never came in his support when he waived off farm loans of Rs 25,000 of the farmers as Chief Minister of the coalition government of the Congress and the JD(S) in 2018-19.

The Congress spokesperson V S Ugrappa said Kumaraswamy has adopted double standards.

On the one hand, Kumaraswamy says his party is with the farmers and on the contrary, the JD(S) sided with the BJP on the Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Act. It clearly indicates a deal between Kumaraswamy and the BJP, Ugrappa told PTI.

He alleged that there was no ideology or consistency in the stand when such a crucial Bill was tabled.

The Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha president Kodihalli Chandrashekhar sought to know how the two parties came together.

What is your objective and your behavior? Tell the people of the state what it is. Is it a deal, sharing of power or handing over power?.

Kumaraswamy is a very big deal master, Chandrashekhar said on Wednesday at the protest site as he was leading the march to lay siege to Vidhana Soudha against the two controversial farm laws passed by the Karnataka Assembly.

He said the farmers of the state know how to save the land.

(IMAGE CREDITS: PTI)