Belagavi farmers ask MLAs to stay with them during winter session
The initiative aims to provide legislators with a first-hand understanding of the challenges faced by the farming community.
In the midst of a severe drought affecting the entire state of Karnataka, various farmers’ associations have urged the legislators to reside at the homes of farmers in the Belagavi district during the upcoming 10-day winter session, scheduled to begin from December 4, people familiar with the matter said on Monday.
The initiative aims to provide legislators with a first-hand understanding of the challenges faced by the farming community and also reduce the cost to be spent on their stay.
Farmers’ organisations, united under the banners of Karnataka Rajya Rait Sangh and North Karnataka Sugarcane Growers’ Association in Belagavi, jointly urged both assembly and council members to consider staying at residences of farmers during the session, Siddagouda Modagi, the convenor of the North Karnataka Sugarcane Growers’ Association, told HT.
However, some legislators view this proposal as an affront, arguing that they are already familiar with the challenges faced by farmers and do not need to stay at their houses to understand them. “We already know the problems being faced by the farmers and there is no need to stay us at their houses to know the same,” opined a legislator from Dharwad, seeking anonymity.
The president of Belagavi Taluk Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangh and Hasiru Sene, Appasaheb Desai, has also criticised the ‘village stay’ concept proposed by the fellow organisations saying, “the village stay of elected representatives would be of no use as hundreds of grievances of the farming community tabled before them were not considered.”
While some legislators from both Congress and Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed the suggestion from farmer associations, others disagreed, considering it as their insult. Three legislators from Bagalkot and Vijayapur expressed their willingness to cover the cost of their stay in government-booked rooms to meet the farmer association’s advice and reduce the expenditure during the session.
In response to the call from farmer associations, Congress legislators like Viswas Vaidya and Mahantesh Koujalagi expressed readiness to stay at farmers’ houses instead of lodges or their own residences. “After attending the session, myself, my party members Babasaheb Patil, Mahantesh Koujalagi and Ashok Pattan are ready to stay at farmers’ houses instead of staying at hotels or at our houses,” said Savadatti legislator Viswas Vaidya, who is representing Savadatti for first time. “We will appeal our BJP counterparts to respond positively to the farmers’ call,” he added.
Mahantesh Koujalagi representing Bailhongal constituency for the third term said, during the session he used to go to his home after completion of day’s business and return the next day. “Not only me, out of 18 MLAs and 4-MLCs most preferred to stay at their homes instead of rooms reserved for them,” Koujalagi added.
Meanwhile, Balachandra Jarkiholi from Arabhavi and Lakshmi Hebbalkar from Belagavi (Rural) emphasised that they are already actively engaged with farming communities.
RTI activist Bhimappa Gadad highlighted the significant expenditure associated with lodging for legislators during sessions. He revealed that, on average, the government spent ₹10 lakh on stay of legislators during the last session, with them staying in lodges, ministers in luxury hotels, and department heads in resorts.
Gadad, who has been tracking the expenses since the first assembly session in 2006, pointed out that elected representatives receive ₹5,000 per day as a travel allowance in addition to other benefits.
