Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Credit: PTI File Photo
In his first reaction to the recent statement made by Cabinet colleague Shivanand Patil, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah advised the minister to avoid casual and disrespectful comments about farmers.
Taking to social media platform X, the chief minister said, “It’s crucial to speak with respect about farmers - our food providers. We must avoid making casual comments that could be perceived as disrespectful. Adhering strictly to this code of conduct is a responsibility for all.”
“Agriculture Minister Shivanand Patil, who hails from a farming family, surely cannot have the intention to insult farmers. He has made some remarks in jest with the farmers around him. However, when applied to the entire farming community, these can be taken out of context and become offensive. This is unacceptable,” he said.
BJP flayed
“BJP leaders, who have not done anything for the welfare of farmers and are fundamentally anti-farmers, are waiting for opportunities, like this, to create controversy over Shivanand Patil’s statements. When farmers asked for seeds and fertilisers, they were shot dead; when they asked for loan waivers, the BJP leaders sarcastically remarked that they don’t have a note-printing machine. Given this backdrop, how can BJP leaders justifiably criticise the Congress party on moral grounds?” Siddaramaiah asked. “Our love and respect for farmers is evident in the pro-farmer programmes our government has implemented in the last six months,” he added.
Pro-farmer measures
Highlighting the pro-farmer schemes, Siddaramaiah said, “Even when the Union government did not provide adequate relief for the drought-affected farmers in the state, we have given Rs 2,000 to each farming family.”
“We have decided to waive the interest on medium- and long-term loans taken from cooperative banks. We have launched the Krishi Bhagya Scheme in 106 taluks across 24 districts of the state at a cost of Rs 100 crore. We are providing three-phase electricity for seven hours to agricultural pump sets. We have decided to regularise Bagar Hukum lands that have been cultivated for 15 years,” he said. “We have taken a bold decision to legalise four lakh agricultural pump sets with illegal electrical connections. We are strengthening the agricultural machinery centres by setting up hi-tech harvester hubs at a cost of Rs 100 crore,” he claimed.