Karnataka Minister sparks controversy, says ‘farmers wish for droughts as their loans get waived’
Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister for Sugar and Agriculture Marketing Shivanand Patil’s statement that farmers wish for repeated droughts in the state so that their loans get waived has caused a stir, with the opposition on Monday terming it as an ‘affront’ to the farming community and seeking his removal from the Ministry.
Coming down heavily on the Congress government over the remark, the BJP has urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take his resignation.
Patil had in September stoked a controversy for his statement that cases of farmer suicides started rising after the compensation amount to the kin of the deceased was hiked from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.
Speaking at an event in Belagavi on Sunday, Patil said, “Krishna river water is free, current is also free. The Chief Minister also gave seeds and fertilizer. Farmers will only wish that there should be repeated droughts, because their loans will be waived. You should not wish that way — even if you don’t wish there will be drought once in three-four years.”
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Noting that the state was reeling under one of the worst droughts and CM Siddaramaiah has already announced waiver of interest on medium term loans, he said, “Some (CMs) had waived loans itself, I need not tell you that, whether Siddaramaiah or Kumaraswamy or Yediyurappa (as CMs) have waived farm loan in the past.”
The government will come to the rescue of farmers when they are in distress, but it is difficult for any dispensation to do it always, he said adding that “with all these forethoughts if we grow, certainly we will have a great future.”
Calling the Minister’s statement “irresponsible”, state BJP President B Y 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 himself, take his resignation.”
Speaking to reporters here, Vijayendra said this attitude of Congress and its government against the farmers, who feed the country, is “unfortunate” and the BJP strongly condemns it.
Former BJP national General Secretary C T Ravi accused Patil of insulting farmers and farming culture by making such statements, and that he was not fit to continue as Minister even for a Minute.
Demanding Patil’s immediate removal, he said, “Making him continue as Minister will make Congress a party to his sins. This shows the height of intoxication of power. If the CM doesn’t act, people will act… farmers are not beggars, no one can tolerate such a statement.”
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New Rajya Sabha members take oath
New Delhi (PTI): NCP-SCP leader Sharad Pawar and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale were among 19 new Rajya Sabha members who took oath here on Monday.
The oath was taken in the presence of Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan. Deputy Chairman Harivansh and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju were present during the ceremony in the Rajya Sabha chamber.
Floor leaders of respective parties were also present in the House.
The newly elected members comprised five from Maharashtra, six from Tamil Nadu, five from West Bengal and three from Odisha.
Maya Chintaman Ivnate of the BJP unit in Maharashtra was the first to take the oath, followed by Pawar, who arrived in a wheelchair.
Ramrao Sakharam Wadkute (BJP), Jyoti Nagnath Waghmare (SS) and Athawale (RPI-A) also took oath as members representing Maharashtra in the Upper House.
Manmohan Samal (BJP), Sanrupt Mishra (BJD) and Dilip Kumar Ray (Ind) took oath as members from Odisha, while Constandine Ravindran (DMK), Christopher Manickam (Congress), L K Sudhish (DMDK), M Thambidurai (AIADMK), Tiruchi Siva (DMK) and Ambumani Ramadoss (PMK) took oath as members representing Tamil Nadu.
From West Bengal, Babul Supriya Baral (AITC), Biswajit Sinha (BJP), Menaka Guruswamy (AITC), Rajeev Kumar (AITC) and Rukmini Mallik (AITC) took oath.
Most members took oath in their respective regional languages.
Chairman Radhakrishnan congratulated all the newly elected members.
