Bengaluru, 26 June

Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Friday said that he had no objection to the Bidadi township project, provided that farmers willingly consent to part with the land. However, “threatening them is not right”.

He added that he would wait for Chief Minister DK Shivakumar at Byramangala in Bidadi on 27 June until Saturday afternoon for an “open discussion” in the presence of affected farmers with the Congress leader.

Shivakumar and Kumaraswamy have repeatedly challenged each other to debates. Recently, Shivakumar called Kumaraswamy to Vidhana Soudha on 26 June, but the JD(S) leader said he was available only on 27 June.

“I will be happy if he comes. I have written to him asking him to come for discussions. He has not replied yet. We are only supporting the protest being carried out by farmers,” Kumaraswamy said.

"Some farmers may have agreed to give land. But a large number of farmers are saying they will not give land. They have all the information. But the government is trying to crack down on everyone. This is not the right approach," Kumaraswamy added.

He said he had no prestige attached to the matter but asked, “Why go ahead with it when there is strong opposition?"

Kumaraswamy said that he will support the farmers protesting at Byramangala, stressing that they are not going there to "create trouble."

To a question on Magadi Congress MLA Balakrishna's statement that a law and order issue would arise if there were a debate regarding the project at Byramangala, Kumaraswamy said that in that case, the farmers should be brought to Vidhana Soudha for discussion.

"When I was the CM in 2006-07, three meetings were held at the home office of Krishna with the opposing farmers. Open opportunities were given to farmers," he said.