BENGALURU: APMC and Cooperative Minister Shivanand Patil has landed in hot water for stating that “farmers wish for drought to get their loans waived off”, with opposition and farmer leaders taking the government to task for insensitive remarks.
Patil’s speech at the Suttatti Primary Agriculture Cooperative Society in Belagavi recently has now gone viral on social media.
Farmer leader Kuruburu Shanthakumar said this is an irresponsible statement. “As a minister, he should have been careful. Farmers take loans for agricultural activities, but if due to calamities they do not get the crop yield, they urge for loan waiver,” he said.
Claiming that the state government had waived off loans of big companies, he asked the minister, “How can you speak so lightly?” He demanded that the minister apologise to farmers, warning, “If such statements are repeated, you will be thrown out of office.”
JDS leader and former CM HD Kumaraswamy stressed that farmers are asking for their rights and not begging for alms. He recalled how farmers committed suicide before the state government waived off their loans, during his tenure as chief minister.
Seeking the minister’s apology and resignation, BJP state president BY Vijayendra told reporters that on one hand, most taluks in the state are facing drought, while on the other, the chief minister and ministers are travelling in luxury. “In such a scenario, the minister is making irresponsible statements. Previously, Patil had made similar statements on farmer suicides, saying these are attempts to get money,” he said.
PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi said Patil might have made the statement by mistake. “Farmers never wish for drought. Drought creates problems not only for farmers, but for all people as food can be grown only when it rains.”
In his speech, Patil had said, “Water from the Krishna river is free for irrigation, power supply is free, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ensured free seed and fertiliser, but farmers still wish for drought. If there is drought, their loans will be waived off.”
Siddaramaiah had recently announced that even medium-term loans will be waived off. Farm loans were also waived during the tenures of BS Yediyurappa and Kumaraswamy.