“Go, die!”: Karnataka Food Minister Umesh Katti tells farmer after slashing rice quantity under PDS

News Network
April 28, 2021

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Bengaluru, Apr 28: In what can be termed as the height of arrogance, Karnataka’s Food and Civil Supplies Minister Umesh Katti has asked a farmer to "go die". In a bid to avoid controversy, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has expressed apologies on behalf of the arrogant minister. 

An audio clip of a purported phone conversation between a Raitha Sangha member and the minister went viral on Wednesday. 

In the conversation, the farmer Eshwar called the minister and sought to know why the government had reduced the quantity of rice under the Public Distribution System (PDS).

Katti can be heard justifying the government's decision saying that even though the quantity of rice is reduced, the government has substituted it with Ragi for South Karnataka and Jowar for North Karnataka.

However, the farmer said the government had not yet begun the supply of Jowar. "Is this quantity enough for a family to sustain? What should we do until the government supplies Jowar? Should people die?" the irate farmer asked the minister. To which, Katti responded, "Go ahead, die and stop calling me."

The audio clip has gone viral and the opposition parties are attacking the government, forcing Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to issue a statement expressing regret. "It is not right for a minister to make such a statement. I express regret," Yediyurappa said.

Meanwhile, the opposition parties have demanded the sacking of Katti.

"BJP minister Umesh Katti has abused a citizen and asked him to 'go die' just because he asked him why Karnataka govt has cut Rice under PDS to just 2 kgs! The Chief Minister must immediately throw him out of the cabinet for this most insensitive statement. Does this government have any shame?" KPCC President DK Shivakumar demanded.

JD(S) Legislature Party leader HD Kumaraswamy too demanded that Katti be removed from the cabinet. "The minister's statement is arrogant and inhuman. When a minister does not have empathy for people, I urge the chief minister to throw him out of the cabinet," Kumaraswamy said.

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News Network
April 20,2024

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New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday alleged that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is being pushed towards a “slow death” inside Tihar jail by denying him insulin and consultations with his doctor.

Kejriwal, who has Type-2 diabetes, has been asking for insulin and a video conferencing with his family doctor but his requests are being denied by the jail administration, party spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said in a press conference.

"I want to say with full responsibility that a conspiracy is underway for the slow death of Kejriwal," Bharadwaj claimed citing blood sugar readings of the Chief Minister in jail.

He also slammed the Tihar administration, BJP, Centre and Delhi LG for allegedly denying insulin to Kejriwal and said the Delhi Chief Minister had been suffering from diabetes for the last 20-22 years.

On Friday, the chief minister council Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi said Kejriwal has not been administered insulin to control his sugar levels since his arrest, terming it “shocking” and “alarming”.

The ED had on Thursday claimed before the court that Kejriwal was eating food high in sugar like mangoes and sweets every day, despite having Type-2 diabetes, to create grounds for medical bail.

Kejriwal, however, refuted the ED’s claims by asserting before a court that the food he consumed was in conformity with the diet chart prepared by his doctor.

“Out of 48 meals sent from home, only three times mangoes were there…,” Singhvi told the court.

Bharadwaj said Kejriwal was allowed by the court to use a machine in the jail to monitor his daily blood sugar levels.

"Overall, it was a conspiracy to finish Kejriwal so his multiple organ damage and when he comes out of jail after 2-4 months he goes for treatment of kidney, heart and other organs," said Bharadwaj, who holds the portfolio of health in Delhi government.

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News Network
April 25,2024

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The Election Commission of India on Thursday announced that it had taken cognisance of violations to the Model Code of Conduct by both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

While Modi has indulged in a diatribe against Muslims, without naming them, using terms like 'infiltrators' and 'those with more children', Rahul has been accused of making a false claim about 'rise in poverty'.

Both the BJP and INC have raised allegations of causing hatred and divisions based on caste, religion, language, and community, ANI reported.

While the EC had initially refused to comment on Modi's speeches, sources had told PTI that the commission was 'looking into' the remarks made by the BJP leader.

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News Network
April 23,2024

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Hubballi, Apr 23: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday spoke to father of slain student Neha Hiremath over phone and said "sorry" over his daughter's killing, and assured that "we will be on your side".

The Chief Minister also informed Niranjan Hiremath, who is also a Congress councillor of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation, about the government's decision to hand over the murder case to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and setting up a special court to fast-track trial.

"Niranjan... very sorry. We will be on your side," Siddaramaiah told Hiremath over the phone call during state's Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil's visit to Hiremath's house here.

In the conversation on Patil's phone with speakers on, Siddaramaiah can be heard informing Hiremath about the CID probe and setting up a special court.

"It is a serious offence... setting up a special court will ensure punishment for the accused person."

Hiremath thanked Siddaramaiah on behalf of his family well-wishers and the community for handing over the case to CID and setting up a special court "...ensure there is an order at the earliest and provide us justice," he said, as he also thanked Patil, Home Minister G Parameshwara, local Congress MLA Prasad Abbayya and others for their support.

Replying to this, Siddaramaiah said, "We will ensure it, at the earliest."

In a shocking incident, Neha Hiremath (23), was stabbed to death on the campus of BVB College last Thursday. The accused Fayaz Khondunaik, who fled from the scene, was arrested by the police subsequently.

Neha was a first year Master of Computer Application (MCA) student and Fayaz was earlier her classmate.

Siddaramaih on Monday had announced his government has decided to hand over the investigation into the incident to the Crime Investigation Department, and to set up a special court for speedy disposal of the case.

The case of brutal murder, which sparked widespread outrage, has snowballed into a political slugfest between ruling Congress and opposition BJP.

While the ruling party has tried to project it as an incident with personal angle, the saffron party has called it a "love jihad" case and has said it's a testimony of deterioration of law and order in the state.

Earlier, Siddarmaiah's statement that the murder was due to "personal reasons" and Home Minister G Parameshwara's comments that the duo was in love, has elicited sharp reactions from Hiremath and family members and opposition parties.

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