Civil Society Warns of Protests Over Justice for Devanahalli Farmers Ahead of CM’s Meeting

Speedy Summary

• Actor Prakash raj and members of various progressive organisations held a press conference in Bengaluru on July 14, 2025.
• They criticized Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ahead of his meeting with Devanahalli farmers scheduled for July 15. Farmers are opposing land acquisition for an aerospace park project.
• Progressive groups warned that failure to deliver justice could damage the Chief Minister’s “pro-people” reputation and lead to statewide anti-Congress sentiment.
• The Congress high command was urged to intervene, with claims that the government is prioritizing corporate interests over farmers’ rights.
• Progressive organisations compared the current Congress government’s policies unfavorably with those of the previous BJP government, accusing both of anti-farmer stances.
• Allegations included retention of controversial legislations like KPSPCA (2020) and failure to address issues such as internal caste census, women and minority protections, labor laws, and anti-conversion legislation implementation.
• An open letter criticizing Congress leadership was released by Samyukta Horata – Karnataka.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The Devanahalli land-acquisition issue highlights a potential rift between karnataka’s ruling Congress government and previously supportive civil society groups. The consistent framing by activists as a betrayal suggests dissatisfaction may extend beyond localized farmer concerns into broader governance challenges-labor policies, minority rights protections, implementing caste-based reforms-all cited as inadequacies under Siddaramaiah’s governance.

As customary supporters turn critical just two years into tenure, this signals a larger test for maintaining public trust while balancing economic development goals against grassroots demands-a longstanding tension in democratic governance worldwide but notably impactful given India’s agrarian sensitivities.

How the Chief Minister navigates this meeting will determine whether perceptions can shift positively or further exacerbate emerging hostility toward “pro-corporate” narratives among key voter blocs tied to farmers’ movements.

read more: Image Source