States » SouthPosted at: Oct 16 2026 12:57PM


BJP targets govt over sugarcane crisis, says Cong cannot pass buck to Centre

Vijayapura, Oct 16 (UNI) The BJP on Friday mounted an attack on the Congress government in Karnataka over the continuing sugarcane farmers’ agitation, accusing it of evading accountability for growers’ grievances and shifting the burden onto the Centre instead of delivering a state-level solution.
BJP Raitha Morcha state president and former MLA Aminappagouda S Patil Nadahalli said the state government must take primary responsibility for addressing farmers’ concerns, asserting that Karnataka should shoulder 70 per cent of the responsibility for ensuring fair returns to sugarcane growers, with the Centre accounting for the remaining 30 per cent.
The BJP leader accused the Congress government of politicising the agitation even as farmers continued to raise concerns over sugar recovery rates, discrepancies in cane weighing and deductions associated with mechanically harvested sugarcane.
Speaking to reporters in Vijayapura, Nadahalli said these grievances required immediate administrative intervention and could not be resolved merely through political exchanges between the state and the Centre.
Centre’s committee under scrutiny
Nadahalli said the Centre had held discussions with farmer representatives lasting four to five hours and decided to constitute a committee to examine their demands. He urged farmers to cooperate with the proposed panel, while maintaining that the state government must address issues falling within its jurisdiction.
The BJP, he said, stood behind the farmers’ agitation but had not yet decided whether to formally join the protests. The party would consider participating if the situation warranted it, he added.
The BJP’s intervention comes amid continuing tensions over sugarcane pricing and farmers’ demands for a fairer return for their produce. The complaints over weighing and sugar recovery have also brought the functioning of sugar mills and the need for greater transparency into focus.
Nadahalli called for a comprehensive policy response, arguing that farmers should not have to repeatedly resort to protests to secure fair prices and redressal of their grievances.
He also highlighted the potential of ethanol and other value-added sugarcane products to diversify revenue streams and reduce the industry’s dependence on sugar production.
Stressing the need to balance the interests of farmers, consumers and sugar mills, he said any long-term solution must also account for international market conditions.
BJP district president Gurulingappa Angadi was present.
UNI BDN
Tags: #BJP targets govt over sugarcane crisis# says Cong cannot pass buck to Centre
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