As Bidadi farmers celebrate victory, lessons from Devanahalli warn it is premature

After more than 400 days of continuous struggle, the farmers of Bidadi in Karnataka have forced the state government — which was attempting to acquire their land for corporate interests — to retreat. The farmers as well as the farmer organisations and the people who led this relentless movement deserve congratulations.With the growing anger of the farmers reaching militant proportions and the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and panchayat elections approaching fast, the movement also acquired a political dimension. Under pressure, the government appears to have decided to avoid a direct confrontation with the people for now. This decision was not driven by any genuine concern for the people nor by any meaningful consultations undertaken in the public interest.The reasons cited by Chief Minister DK Shivakumar while announcing that there would be no forcible land acquisition are proof enough. Equally telling is the fact that even as the announcement was made, final notices were issued on Wednesday, July 15 for lands in the same region. The CM has at best only offered the formation of an expert committee, not even the promise of denotification. Instead, final notification was issued the same day this promise was made.Be that as it may, the fundamental reason the government was forced to quit, even temporarily, was the uncompromising and sustained struggle of the farmers of Bidadi.Read: Bidadi Township: What the project is, who opposes it and why However, even while celebrating this achievement, one should remember that it is only a temporary and partial victory.Why?The government has only stated that it will not forcibly acquire the specific lands in Bidadi. It has not abandoned the proposed AI City and the Greater Bengaluru  Integrated Township project planned for the region which required those lands.This reminds us of what happened — and continues to happen — in Devanahalli.There, the government sought to acquire land as part of the Aerospace and Defence Industrial Zone. Following a prolonged farmers’ struggle, 1,777 acres were excluded under certain conditions, but the larger Aerospace Industrial Zone project was never abandoned.This is precisely why, even when the government announced in June 2025 that the land would be denotified, it simultaneously left a provision to encourage those willing to surrender their land “voluntarily”.Although the decision was announced in June 2025, no denotification order was issued until December. Even after the denotification, full ownership rights over the land were not restored to the farmers.On June 27, the DKS government — one year after declaring that the land would be returned — announced compensation of Rs 2.7 crore per acre for those willing to give up their land voluntarily, thereby keeping the land acquisition alive. As a result, the farmers there have once again been compelled to resume their agitation.The reason is simple.The corporate Aerospace Zone project has not been cancelled, nor is it likely to be. As long as that project remains active, the threat of corporate takeover will continue to hang over the farmers’ land like a sword.This is because it is a multi-billion dollar project benefiting domestic and multinational corporations. Under an economic policy dependent on multinational investment, there is essentially no difference between the Congress, BJP, or JD(S). These parties and their respective leaderships all rely on corporate funding.Although parties may stage symbolic protests claiming to support farmers, none of them advocate scrapping the Aerospace Zone in favour of strengthening the agricultural economy of small farmers.Similar to the Aerospace Zone project, AI City, Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT), Global Capability Centres (GCC), KWIN City (Knowledge, Wellbeing, and Innovation), and the proposed Central Business District (CBD) modelled on Gujarat’s GIFT City are all part of the Congress government’s vision shared completely by the BJP and JD(S).That is why Rahul Gandhi remains silent on the issue, Narendra Modi backs DKS’ Bidadi project, and even HD Deve Gowda, while expressing sympathy for farmers, continues to argue in favour of the very corporate project responsible for their plight.The dream is to transform Bengaluru, by 2037, into an “Amaravati” for global corporate billionaires, with multinational investments worth Rs 35 lakh crore.For these wealthy elites, the plan includes tunnel roads, Metro expansion, a second airport, a “beautiful Bengaluru” free of street vendors, and a vast pool of low-paid workers who have lost their land and lack even minimum wage protections.The acquisition of farmers’ lands in Bidadi, Devanahalli, Anekal, and surrounding areas is intended to reshape Bengaluru and Karnataka into this corporate paradise. In such a corporate Bengaluru, displaced farmers, labourers, and street vendors will become second-class citizens.If Karnataka’s farmers are to preserve their dignity and livelihoods, these corporate projects must be cancelled. The corporate agenda of Congress, BJP, and JD(S) must be defeated. The constitutional dream of equal opportunity and equal dignity for all must be realised.Therefore, this is not a genuine change of heart by the DKS government brought about by the people’s struggle, nor is it an awakening to people-centered development. The temporary differences among ruling elites should never be mistaken for opposition to their common corporate interests.We must not lose sight of this class reality — not even for a moment.The people’s movement must remain vigilant. The struggle must continue until corporate schemes are defeated by the people’s collective strength.Shivasundar is an activist and freelance journalist. Views expressed are the author’s own.