In a fiery press conference in Shivamogga on Tuesday, farmer advocate Ti.Na. Srinivasa delivered a stunning ultimatum: every MLA and MP from the district should step down immediately. His reason? A profound failure to protect the very people they were elected to serve.

Key facts

  • Ti.Na. Srinivasa is convener of the Malnad Raitha Horata Samiti
  • Demand made at press conference in Shivamogga on September 1, 2026
  • Accuses representatives of silence on land compensation and Western Ghats issues

A growing disconnect

Srinivasa's frustration boiled over as he described how elected officials seemed largely unaware of farmers' daily struggles. They hadn't raised critical issues in the legislature, he claimed, leaving agricultural communities feeling abandoned. The charge cuts deep in a region where farming isn't just an occupation—it's a way of life.

Land rights in limbo

Perhaps most heartbreaking: families who lost land to dam projects years ago still can't enjoy ownership of their compensation plots. Why? Because much of this granted land is now being declared "forest," trapping farmers in bureaucratic limbo. Srinivasa says representatives have watched silently as generations-old farms slip through legal cracks.

"The elected representatives have not been able to raise the issue effectively, neither in Parliament nor in the State Assembly. They should resign immediately,"

Conservation clash

The draft notification proposing to declare the Western Ghats an Ecologically Sensitive Area has become another flashpoint. Srinivasa alleges politicians failed to grasp the proposal's gravity while busy blaming each other over the K. Kasturirangan report. He called the report—based on satellite images without gram panchayat consultation—worthy of "the dustbin."

His words carry the weight of someone who's watched promises evaporate and urgency fade into political paralysis. For Malnad farmers, Tuesday's demand wasn't just rhetoric—it was a cry for recognition after years of being unheard.