The memorandums and petitions addressed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah were discovered discarded in a garbage heap, prompting outrage among local farmers and citizens. The letters, submitted during the Chief Minister’s visit to Chamarajanagar on July 10, were intended to communicate various demands and problems faced by the community. However, they were found amidst waste at Dr B.R. Ambedkar Stadium, sparking accusations of negligence and arrogance.
During his visit, CM Siddaramaiah participated in a Congress thanksgiving meeting, where farmers and victims of the oxygen disaster handed him their petitions. These documents, representing urgent requests for addressing various issues, were expected to reach the Chief Minister’s office for review and action. Instead, they were discovered in a garbage pile at the stadium the following morning.
Farmers’ organisations have expressed their fury over the careless handling of their appeals. They demand an immediate apology from CM Siddaramaiah, warning that failure to do so will result in protests involving black flag demonstrations during his future visits to the district.
“Why did they accept our petitions if they were just going to throw them in the dustbin? Such negligence is unacceptable. If this is the fate of petitions submitted directly to the Chief Minister, what happens to those given to officials?” an angry farmer questioned.
The farmers’ frustration is rooted in a deep sense of betrayal. They had pinned their hopes on the Chief Minister’s intervention to resolve critical issues. During the thanksgiving ceremony at Ambedkar Stadium, held to celebrate MP Sunil Bose’s election to Parliament and attended by Siddaramaiah and other ministers, the farmers detailed their struggles in their petitions. The subsequent discovery of these documents in the trash has intensified their anger.
A farmer leader warned CM Siddaramaiah that he would face continuous opposition in Chamarajanagar if he did not apologise. “We will never allow him to come to Chamarajanagar, and if he does come, we will show him black flags,” he stated emphatically.
The incident has cast a shadow over the Chief Minister’s visit, highlighting the disconnect between political promises and the reality experienced by the local farmers and citizens. The farmers’ demands for accountability and respect reflect a broader call for responsible governance and sincere attention to their grievances.
