"Farmers wish for droughts as their loans get waived," Karnataka Minister Shivanand Patil; later clarifies
Dec 25, 2023
Belagavi (Karnataka) [India], December 25 : Sparking controversy by stating that farmers in the state wait for the drought to occur so that they can get their compensation on the loans, Karnataka Minister Shivanand Patil on Monday said that sometimes a situation can arise when it can become difficult for the government to compensate farmers on their loan debt.
Speaking at the inaugural program of the Rural Agricultural Self-Help Society in Belagavi district, the Karnataka Minister Shivanand Patil said, "Farmers wait for drought to come for loan waiver. Many Chief Ministers in the past also gave seeds and fertilizers to grow crops."
"Siddaramaiah, Yediyurappa and HD Kumarwwamy all have given it. But farmers still have one wish, and that is, that there will be a drought. Because the loan will be waived on that,' he added.
Asserting that previous governments in the state have tried their best to waive off loans, Shivanand Patil said, "However, it can be difficult when the government is in trouble. The government cannot always help in the same way."
Drawing flak on his remarks, Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra on Monday demanded the resignation of Shivanand Patil.
The BJP leader called Patil's statement "unpardonable" and accused him of repeatedly making similar statements.
"I strongly condemn the statement of Shivanand Patil. It shows the recklessness of the minister and this is unpardonable. CM must ask him to apologise to the farmers of the state. We demand resignation from Shivanand Pati as time and again he has been making such statements against farmers," BY Vijayendra said.
However, the Karnataka Minister issued a clarification and said that some words of his speech had been taken out of context by the opposition parties.
"I have not spoken any words that could hurt and insult the breadwinners. Anyone who listens to the entire speech I spoke will understand it. But the fact that the opposition party is spreading slander by keeping only a few words that they should oppose the BJP is just a mirror of their desperate state of mind," Shivanand Patil posted on X.
"Today the prices of most commercial crops in the state have been reduced. Farmers are not getting a fair price. No matter how much they convince the central BJP government about this, they are not letting go of their stubbornness," he added.
