B.Y. Vijayendra, BJP State president, speaking in the Legislative Assembly in Bengaluru on September 23, 2026.
| Photo Credit: special arrangement
BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra on Wednesday demanded a waiver of crop loans of up to ₹5 lakh for farmers affected by the severe drought in Karnataka.
Speaking in the Legislative Assembly and later to reporters, Mr. Vijayendra also sought compensation of ₹50,000 per hectare for crop losses and an increase in the milk incentive from ₹5 to ₹8 per litre.
Citing the farm loan waiver announced by the Maharashtra government, he urged Karnataka to adopt a similar measure to provide relief to farmers. He also demanded that the State government clear pending procurement payments to farmers who had supplied maize.
Mr. Vijayendra sought a regular three-phase power supply to rural areas, adding that the government should purchase power, if necessary, to ensure uninterrupted supply. He said power could previously have been purchased at ₹10-11 a unit if the government entered the agreement, but now costs ₹14-15 a unit.
Mr. Vijayendra claimed that 937 farmers had died by suicide in the Karnataka this year following crop losses, including 294 in Kalaburagi district.
Referring to the BJP’s ‘Ballari Chalo’ padayatra earlier this month, he said farmers had complained about incomplete irrigation projects in Kalyana Karnataka and Kittur Karnataka regions.
He also questioned the criteria adopted by the State government in declaring taluks drought-hit and alleged that some constituencies represented by BJP MLAs had been left out.
The BJP leader questioned the funding for the ₹32,000 crore development projects announced by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar during his recent visit to Mangaluru. However, the Finance Department had indicated that the state had no resources for new schemes and questioned how the government proposed to finance the projects.
Published – September 23, 2026 11:10 pm IST
