Shivanand Patil had earlier said farmer suicides had gone up after government hiked compensation
A Karnataka minister is at the centre of a controversy for an insensitive remark that farmers "wish for drought year after year so that their loans get waived". Addressing a gathering, the state Sugarcane Development Minister Shivanand Patil said, "Krishna (river) water is free, electricity is also free. Several Chief Ministers have given free seeds and manure. The farmers have only one wish in their mind -- there should be a drought year after year so that their loans to get waived."
Hitting out at the Congress government, Karnataka BJP said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's cabinet is "full of fools". The BJP added in a post on X, earlier Twitter, that the "anti-farmer government" is mocking and humiliating farmers.
Several social media users criticised the Congress ministers after a video of him making the insensitive remarks in Kannada went viral.
Mr Patil is no stranger to controversy. This September, he had sparked a row by saying that farmer suicides in the state had gone up after the state government hiked compensation for such deaths.
He had later said he did not intend to hurt farmers' sentiments and that he was merely advising the media to wait for data before reporting on the number of farmer suicides.
The minister, who represents Basavana Bagevadi in the Assembly, was also caught in a controversy when a video of him sitting at an event while others threw currency notes in the air circulated on the Internet. The minister was seen sitting nonchalantly and chatting as some of the notes landed on his feet. Mr Patil had then said he did not throw money and just happened to be present at the wedding event.