Over 460 Days of Protest: Farmers Rally Against Bidadi Township Project in Karnataka

Hundreds of farmers from multiple districts in Karnataka gathered on Monday at BGS Circle in Bidadi to participate in a bike rally organised by the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS). The rally, called 'Bairamangala Chalo,' was held in support of farmers protesting the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township, commonly known as the Bidadi Township project.

This marks the first large-scale farmers' agitation against the project, although local farmers have been demonstrating at a designated site in Bairamangala village for over 460 days.

The protest is against the state government's plan to acquire 9,600 acres of land, including more than 7,200 acres of farmland, for the township. Environmental concerns have also been raised, as nearly two lakh trees are likely to be felled for the project. The Greater Bengaluru Development Authority (GBDA), the implementing agency, has issued a final notification to acquire 519 acres across three villages and plans to issue similar notifications for additional villages.

Speaking to The Hindu, KRRS leader Badagalapura Nagendra stated that around 4,000 farmers from nine districts were expected to join the rally, which would end at Bairamangala. He criticised Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who has been championing the project, saying, 'He claims he is the son of a farmer; if so, he should listen to these grieving farmers.' Nagendra warned that the protest would expand into a state-wide farmers' movement if the project is not halted.

Farmers arrived from Bengaluru South, Bengaluru Rural, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Tumakuru, Mandya, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, and surrounding districts. While hundreds came on bikes and in cars, over 500 travelled by train from distant locations, and local farmers arrived on tractors.

The rally follows a protest march by Janata Dal (Secular) leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy on June 21, which covered nine villages and marked the first political standoff over the project. Monday's KRRS rally is expected to be a direct confrontation between farmers and the government, with potential to gain further momentum.