K’taka Agri minister spends Diwali with farmers on b’day

He ploughed the land using a tractor, planted paddy seedlings in the field besides spending the day with farmers

Mandya: Karnataka Agriculture Minister B.C. Patil celebrated his birthday as well as Diwali amid nature along with farmers here on Saturday.

He ploughed the land using a tractor, planted paddy seedlings in the field besides spending the day with farmers.

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The minister, who shares his birthday with Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, had stated that he always wanted to be among the farmers and that is why when he was allotted the forest portfolio, he had declined to accept it and had requested Karnataka CM Yediyurappa to allot him the Agriculture Ministry alone.

“I have never aspired for plum portfolios; agriculture suits me the most. I love to spend my day with farmers, and that is why I chose to celebrate Diwali with them,” he had said.

“Though I come from the north Karnataka region, the people of Mandya gave me the real popularity by making my movie ‘Kourava’ a super hit, through which I became a statewide known face. I had spent a lot of time in Mandya as ‘Kourava’ was shot extensively in this district,” he said while addressing the farmers.

He also announced that his ‘spend a day with farmers’ programme would be held thrice a month and he would visit every district and address the problems of the farmers and finally submit a report to the Chief Minister.

Scoffing at rumours that he was just copying former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s famous ‘Grama Vaastavvya’ programme, which catapulted Kumaraswamy to statewide fame, Patil said that he would leave that for the people to decide.

“As a minister, I want to come to their homes instead of the farmers coming and waiting for us in scorching heat in front of our houses,” he said.

Prior to entering politics, Patil had served as a police officer in Karnataka Police and had entered the Kannada film industry where he not only produced a few movies, but also acted in as many 25 films. Of his movies, ‘Kaurava’ is considered to be a super hit. Due to his soaring popularity, he took a plunge into politics and became an MLA.

He was a three-time Congress MLA from Hirekerur constituency in Haveri district. Till the time he was with the Congress, Patil was seen as the closest follower of Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah.

He is part of a rebel group comprising 17 MLAs who brought down the 14-month-old Congress-JD(S) coalition government by resigning and joining the BJP last year.

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