The suicide by a cane farmer outside the legislature in Belgaum has once again brought to the fore the close relationship between powerful politicians and sugar factories in Karnataka.

The fear that sugar factories in the state, a chunk of which are linked to top politicians, would not honour a government directive of November 23 to pay a minimum of Rs 2,500 for every tonne of cane pushed farmers to protest outside the legislature during which one drank a poisonous substance on Wednesday.

Sixteen of the 58 sugar factories in Karnataka are linked to Congress or BJP politicians, including five incumbent and four former ministers.

An advertisement by an association of sugar factories in newspapers that they would not pay more than Rs 2,200 per tonne for cane, no matter what price the government fixes, is believed to have triggered panic among farmers. The ad that appeared on November 21, two days before the government announcement, was the trigger for the protest .

Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha president Kodihalli Chandrashekar, who is leading the protest, said: "The government is trying to protect the interests of sugar mills...This is not acceptable."

CM Siddaramaiah, however, defended Congress legislators. The Congress claimed the previous BJP dispensation was responsible for creating the impression that the government will allow sugar mills to dictate terms. Six ministers in the BJP government owned or were related to owners of sugar mills.

"A great drama is being enacted by sugar factory owners who are Congress and BJP legislators. This drama club does not want us to force the government to commit to paying a better price to farmers,'' leader of Opposition H D Kumaraswamy of the JD(S) said.

Politicians linked to sugar factories

Prakash Hukkeri (Congress) Halsiddhanath and Doodhganga sugar factories

S R Patil (Congress) Bilagi Sugar Factory

Satish Jharkiholi (Congress) Satish Sugars

Shamanur Shivashankarappa (Congress) Shamanur Sugar and Davangere Sugar

D B Inamdar (Congress) Malaprabha Sugars

M B Patil (Congress) Basaveshwara Sugars

Siddu Nyamegouda (Congress) Jamkhandi Sugars

Murugesh Nirani (BJP) Nirani Sugars

Umesh Katti (BJP) Vishwanath Sugars

Balachandra Jharkiholi (BJP) Ghataprabha Sugars

Gurupadappa

Nagamarpalli (KJP) Naranja Sugars

Lakshman Savadi (BJP) Krishna Sugars

Prabhakar Kore (BJP) Shiv Shakti Sugars