During the discussion on plight of farmers in the state, Vatal Nagaraj of Kannada Chalavali Vatal Paksha wondered the rationale behind the chief minister’s village stay. “Has anything changed ? It is back to square one once the CM’s convoy leaves the village,” he said. The CM should concentrate on the entire State by launching programmes to improve facilities in all 27,000 villages, he said.

Congress leader Siddaramaiah dubbed the CM village stay a political gimmick. “Everything is stage managed, from cooking food, supply of mineral water to arranging pillows and toilets. Facilities are created for a few hours and vanish the moment the chief minister winds up his visit,” he alleged. Intervening, Home Minister M P Prakash said the CM was only trying to send a message that he had concern for people. He said,  Mahatma Gandhi undertook stays in Harijan slums so that the plight of the people there caught the attention of those at the helm of affairs.

This argument was not taken well by Opposition members who urged Mr  Prakash not to “equate” Mr Kumaraswamy with Mahatma Gandhi. The CM was not present in the House when the discussion took place.