Congress MLA Yashvanta Rayagouda V Patil resigned from the Karnataka Assembly on Wednesday after the government left Indi and Chadchan taluks in his Vijayapura constituency out of the list of drought affected areas, saying he could no longer do justice to voters who had elected him.
The MLA had repeatedly sought drought status for Indi and Chadchan. But our words and feelings are not being valued,” Patil wrote. Patil also raised the issue of political influence in the government’s response to demands from constituencies. “He is not resigning for any other reason. “Patil has come emotionally, that is true. He has also come to the Speaker. You advised him to speak to the chief minister. I spoke to him, consoled him and came here. He is also under pressure. He has to answer the people of his constituency. The chief minister also rejected the suggestion that Patil’s resignation was part of a broader political strategy. The chief minister also defended the government’s method of identifying drought affected areas, saying the declaration could not be made simply on the basis of demands from individual legislators. In Aug, he had quit the assembly after being denied a Cabinet berth but withdrew his resignation following persuasion by Congress functionaries. The govt has since included Gadag in the drought-hit list of taluks.
In a letter to chief minister D K Shivakumar on August 28, Patil pointed out that 11 of Vijayapura district’s 13 taluks had been declared drought affected, while the two taluks in his constituency had been excluded. Referring to recent comments by senior BJP leader K S Eshwarappa about 15 legislators resigning, Shivakumar said the two situations were different. Earlier reporting noted: The latest drama came a day after senior Congress legislator and former minister HK Patil threatened to resign if Gadag taluk was not declared drought-hit by Oct 10.
“I am a ruling party MLA and have made several requests to our government in a sensitive manner so that it does not cause embarrassment.
He said he had made the requests while trying to avoid putting the government in an embarrassing position, but felt his appeals were not receiving adequate attention. “In today’s political situation, those who are strong and exert pressure are getting recognition, while people like us, who are mild-natured, are not getting recognition for any work,” he said. The chief minister said farmers in several parts of Karnataka had borrowed money to cultivate their land and were now facing the consequences of the drought. This is a resignation he has come forward to give for the lives of farmers,” Shivakumar said. Shivakumar said Patil had been under pressure from people in his constituency and had approached the Assembly Speaker before speaking to him. The chief minister said he had met Patil, spoken to him and tried to reassure him before returning to the House. There is nothing wrong in him becoming emotional,” Shivakumar said. He said the process was governed by prescribed criteria, including rainfall deficiency and the number of days without rain.
Earlier reporting noted: This was Patil’s second resignation attempt this year. Earlier reporting noted: Cong MLA quits over drought list, Speaker rejects resignation Bengaluru: The Congress govt faced embarrassment during the special legislative session on drought when three-time party MLA Yashvanthraygoud V Patil submitted his resignation on Wednesday, protesting exclusion of Indi and Chadachan taluks in Vijayapura district from the drought-hit list.
