B.R. Patil writes to Rahul Gandhi seeking intervention to restore safeguards for agricultural lands

Senior Congress legislator B.R. Patil has written to Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi seeking his intervention "to restore adequate safeguards governing the purchase and holding of agricultural lands." This comes days after Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, responding to a question raised by Mr. Patil in the Assembly, said there was "no proposal before the government to reinstate sections 79-A, 79-B, and 79-C of Karnataka Land Reforms Act, 1961."

Devraj Urs's legacy

These sections, introduced in 1974 as part of the land reforms during D. Devraj Urs's tenure, barred non-agriculturalists from buying agriculture land in the State and were repealed by the previous BJP regime in 2021, then opposed by the Congress.

The Congress had also promised to repeal "anti-farmer laws" introduced during the BJP regime - referring to amendments to the Karnataka Land Reforms Act, 1961, and Karnataka Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation and Development) Act, 1966, - in its manifesto ahead of the 2023 Assembly polls, as pointed out by Mr. Patil in his letter.

Data presented by the Chief Minister in response to Mr. Patil's question in the Assembly shows 19.97 lakh acres of agricultural land was sold since sections 79-A, 79-B, and 79-C were repealed in 2021.

"These figures warrant your immediate intervention and also call for an imminent need for a policy change at the State level. The issue is no longer confined to individual transactions in agricultural land; it concerns the continuing reduction of land available for cultivation, the position of small and marginal farmers, the rural economy and the State's long-term food security," he said in his letter to Mr. Gandhi.

He appealed for a policy review within the party that the "State government be called upon to undertake, without further delay, a comprehensive review of the amendments made to the Karnataka Land Reforms Act." He said the State government should take a clear policy decision, and announce a clear roadmap for restoring appropriate safeguards.

Farmers' demand

Badagalpura Nagendra, farmer leader with Samyukta Horata-Karnataka, a coalition of farmers, students, workers and Dalit groups, said as Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president, Mr. Shivakumar assured them and even signed a petition to reinstate sections 79-A, 79-B, and 79-C of Karnataka Land Reforms Act, 1961 at a farmers' meeting in Gandhi Bhavan ahead of the 2023 Assembly polls and said the "volteface was unfortunate." He warned the State government of launching a State-wide agitation seeking reinstatement of these safeguards if the Congress does not fulfill its manifesto promise to the farmers.

Asked about Mr. Patil's letter, Mr. Shivakumar said the matter would be examined.