Minister sparks outcry with controversial remark on farmers’ loan waivers

Bengaluru: In a recent address at Suttatti village in Belagavi district, Karnataka Minister Shivanand Patil stirred up controversy yet again by suggesting that farmers in the state pray for drought to secure loan waivers. The minister’s comments have not only drawn sharp criticism from opposition leaders but have also been deemed as “anti-farmer” by members of the BJP.

During the gathering, Patil remarked, “The water from the Krishna river comes without cost, and electricity is provided free of charge. Numerous Chief Ministers have distributed complimentary seeds and fertilisers. The farmers harbour a single desire for drought in the state, hoping for their loans to be forgiven. Such aspirations should not be encouraged.”

In response to Patil’s controversial statement, R Ashoka, the opposition leader in the Legislative Assembly, vehemently criticised the minister and called for his removal from the council of ministers Ashoka asserted, “I have never encountered a leader so opposed to the interests of farmers. This isn’t the initial instance where he has spoken disparagingly about farmers; he has made critical remarks on previous occasions too. Patil should promptly issue an apology to the farming community. If the government is genuinely supportive of farmers, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should consider removing him from the cabinet.”

It is worth noting that this is not the first time Shivanand Patil has courted controversy with statements affecting the farming community. In September of this year, he suggested a connection between an increase in farmers’ suicides and the rise in compensation amounts since 2015.