Bengaluru: A police operation to clear a blocked road at Bidadi has turned into a political row, after visuals of cops removing a Ganesha idol from a farmers’ protest site went viral, drawing sharp criticism from BJP against Congress govt.The action unfolded Friday when police moved to clear Bidadi-Harohalli main road, blocked since Sept 21 by farmers opposing the proposed Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township project near Bairamangala. The protesters had parked tractors and bullock carts across the stretch and installed the idol at the site, where daily prayers were held through their ongoing hunger strike. Police cleared the obstructions and the idol to restore traffic, detaining several protesters including women farmers in the process.Opposition leader in the assembly, R Ashoka, led the backlash Saturday, saying govt should have addressed the farmers’ concerns instead of touching the idol. “Removing the Ganesha idol installed at the place where farmers are staging a satyagraha for their legitimate demands hurts the sentiments of farmers and Hindu religious practices,” he said, adding that the administration found time to clear the idol but none to hear the farmers out.Targeting chief minister DK Shivakumar’s administration, Ashoka demanded immediate talks with the protesters. “The govt should not evade the farmers’ problems. It should immediately listen to the demands of the Bidadi farmers and provide justice,” he said, insisting neither their land struggle nor their faith could be brushed aside.Union minister HD Kumaraswamy also visited Channapatna Police Bhavan after the farmers were arrested.During the visit, Kumaraswamy condemned the alleged police excesses against women farmers and gave the IGP and district SP two days to take strict action against the officials responsible.He later persuaded the protesting farmers at the police station to call off their agitation. They ended the hunger strike by eating fruit offered by Kumaraswamy.
