Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launched a sharp attack on the Central Government Saturday, accusing it of "evading the core issue" of the widening gap between cultivation costs and the price realisation for sugarcane, which he stated has pushed lakhs of farmers into distress.

In a detailed, three-page letter to Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, Siddaramaiah dismantled the Centre's claims on the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP), ethanol blending, and financial support to the state.

The Chief Minister's letter was a direct rebuttal to one he had received from Joshi regarding the "plight of sugarcane farmers in Karnataka."

"Farcical" FRP claims

Siddaramaiah challenged the Centre's announced FRP of ₹355 per quintal at 10.25% recovery, calling the government's claim of a 105.

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