BENGALURU: Chief minister HD Kumaraswamy publicly regretted his comments against farmer leader Jayashree Gurannavar on Monday, hours after farmers marching towards Vidhana Soudha brought parts of Bengaluru to a halt to press some 39 demands, including waiver of all loans.As announced a month ago, hundreds of farmers led by president of Karnataka Hasiru Sene KT Gangadhar arrived at Bengaluru railway station on Monday morning to lay siege to the assembly. But they were stopped at Freedom Park , which they turned into a protest venue.The agitation threw traffic out of gear in Gandhinagar, Freedom Park and surrounding areas, giving a harrowing time to peak-hour commuters. The farmers called off the protest only after being assured by the HDK government that a meeting will be convened in 15 days to discuss all their demands.The five-hour showdown had barely come to a close when in a hurriedly convened press conference in the evening, the CM offered regrets to Belagavi-based farmer leader Jayashree. “My words during the valedictory speech of Krishi Mela on Sunday were taken out of context and blown out of proportion. My intention was not to hurt anybody’s sentiments. I regret, if, my comment has hurt her feelings and withdraw my words,” Kumaraswamy said.The CM had made the remarks while retorting to Gurannavar, who was leading the agitation on sugarcane prices and had called him a ‘nalayak CM’ (good for nothing). “Where was she sleeping for four years when the sugar mills did not pay dues of farmers,” he had asked.The CM went on to defend his decision to get Gurannavar arrested for her comments. Kumaraswamy said he too was hurt but had asked police to arrest Jayashree because she had disgraced the chief minister of the state. He also regretted calling protesting sugarcane cultivators “goondas” and a blot on the farming community.

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