Shivanand Patil, minister for sugarcane development, had previously landed in a controversy for suggesting farmer suicides increased after compensation was hiked.
Published Dec 25, 2023 | 2:55 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 25, 2023 | 2:58 PM
File photo of Karnataka minister Shivanand Patil. (ishivanandpatil/Facebook)
A senior Congress leader and minister in the Karnataka government, Shivanand Patil sparked an outrage when he claimed farmers wished for drought.
Karnataka’s Minister for Textiles, Sugarcane Development and Agriculture Marketing, Patil had come under severe criticism in the past for linking farmer suicides to a hike in compensation paid to families.
He has once again landed the government in the Opposition’s line of fire.
The Opposition has now sought the resignation for “insulting” farmers, accusing the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government of being anti-farmer.
Speaking at an event in Belagavi on Sunday, 24 December, Shivanand Patil told the farming community not to expect assistance from the government “all the time”.
“The Krishna river’s water is free. Electricity is free. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has given seeds and fertilisers as well. Now farmers have just one wish — that the drought recurs. Because then their loans will be waived,” he said.
“You shouldn’t wish for that. Even if you don’t wish for it, there will be drought every three or four years. Since there was a drought this year as well, Siddaramaiah has already waived the interest on medium-term loans,” he noted.
“All chief ministers — whether Siddarmaiah, HD Kumaraswamy, or BS Yediyurappa — have waived loans. I won’t deny it, but governments can help during distress. If you expect the government to always come to your rescue, it will be difficult,” the minister said.
Coming down heavily on the Congress government over the remark, the BJP urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to seek Patil’s resignation.
Calling the minister’s statement “irresponsible”, Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra hit out at the Congress government in the state.
Recalling that Patil had made “arrogant” comments on farmers’ suicides in the past, the saffron party leader said, “Shivanand Patil has once again insulted the farmers. I urge the chief minister to immediately call him and expostulate him, and, if he is not able to mend his ways, take his resignation.”
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Vijayendra said this attitude of the Congress and its government against the farmers who feed the country was “unfortunate”, and that the BJP strongly condemned it.
Former BJP national general secretary CT Ravi accused Patil of insulting farmers and farming culture by making such statements, and said that he was not fit to continue as a minister even for a minute.
Demanding Patil’s immediate removal, he said, “Making him continue as a minister will make the Congress a party to his sins. This shows the height of intoxication of power. If the chief minister doesn’t act, people will act… Farmers are not beggars. No one can tolerate such a statement.”
Patil stoked controversy in September for his statement that cases of farmer suicides started rising after the compensation amount to the kin of the deceased was hiked from ₹2 lakh to ₹5 lakh.
(With PTI inputs)
