Key Points:
- Karnataka Food Minister Umesh Katti verbally abused a farmer by asking him to “go die” when he questioned about the PDS food allotment to his area.
- When the media questioned Katti, he denied that he said if and instead said, “When he says that he wanted to die, what should I reply to him.”
- H D Kumaraswamy, a JDSleader & ex-CM tweeted, “..It is inhumane for the minister to say such a thing. I urge the chief minister to throw him out of the cabinet”.
On Wednesday, criticism came pouring down on Karnataka Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Umesh Katti for verbally abusing a farmer and asking him to “go die”. It was an audio clip that went viral on the social media which was a call recording of Minister Katti answering a farmer’s questions.
The Conversation (as reported by NDTV)
Farmer: Sir, now you made it 2 kg rice from 5 kg [in PDS] it is Lockdown now and we don’t earn our livelihood. Will that be sufficient, Sir?
Minister: Every month, the Central Government is giving 5 kg (wheat or rice) during lockdown. In the month of May and June…
Farmer: When are you giving?
Minister: Next month.
Farmer: Till then, should we starve or die?
Minister: It is better to die. Actually, that is the reason we have stopped giving. Please don’t call me.
Katti said that the government was additionally providing 3 kg of raagi and to this, the farmer said that it was not available in north Karnataka. In reply, Katti said that the govt had replaced it with Ragi for South Karnataka and Jowar for North Karnataka. And then came in the horrifying statement of Katti telling the farmer to ‘Go Die and Don’t Call Me.’
But, when the media reached to him for a byte, Katti denied that he said that and instead said, “When he says that he wanted to die, what should I reply to him.”
The Criticism
H D Kumaraswamy, a JDSleader & ex-CM demanded Katti’s removal from the cabinet. He tweeted,
“The Minister of Food, who is supposed to come to the aid of the hungry people during corona, has given a mental answer. It is inhumane for the minister to say such a thing. I urge the chief minister to throw him out of the cabinet”.
DK Shivakumar from Congress tweeted,
“BJP Minister Umesh Katti has abused a citizen & asked him to ‘go die’ just because he asked him why Karnataka Govt has cut Rice under PDS to just 2 kgs! CM @BSYBJP must immediately throw him out of the cabinet for this most insensitive statement. Does this Govt have any shame?”
This isn’t the first time that Minister Katti has made it to the headlines for controversial talks. Last time, it was in February when Katti declared that families that own televisions and two-wheelers should surrender their Below Poverty Line cards or face action. He had given a March 31 deadline.
After announcing this, even his party colleagues criticized his decision.
