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K’taka Min 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.’

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 govt 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 govt 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.’

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