Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy transplants paddy seedlings in an agricultural field in Seethapura village in Pandavapura taluk of Mandya district.
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy sowed paddy in an agricultural field in Mandya district on Sunday.
Accompanied by former Minister C.S. Puttaraju and his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the JD(S) leader, who was attired in a dhoti and a white shirt, joined other farmers in transplanting the paddy seedlings in the slushy fields of Seethapura village in Pandavapura taluk of Mandya district.
It may be mentioned here that Mr. Kumaraswamy had similarly planted paddy seedlings in the same village in August 2018 when he was the Chief Minister heading the Congress-JD(S) coalition government.
The paddy sowing exercise on Sunday in the same village comes a day after the conclusion of the eight-day-long Bengaluru to Mysuru padayatra concluded with a rally in Mysuru on Saturday demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over the alleged scam in Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) and Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation.
While planting saplings on Sunday, Mr. Kumaraswamy said the good rains this year had brought joy to the farming community, which had taken to cultivating their lands. The farmers had to suffer last year because they were unable to cultivate their crops due to absence of good rains.
The farmers are happily working in their fields this year because the reservoirs were full after a good rainfall. He said the farmers had invited him to join them and he was happy to participate in the paddy sowing exercise, Mr. Kumaraswamy said while adding that his participation in such exercises will help him understand the problems faced by the farmers.
He also pointed out that the family of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda had always been close to the farmers. He said his father Mr. Gowda was born as a farmer and represented the farming community.
To a question, Mr. Kumaraswamy said he was expecting to be allocated the Agriculture portfolio at the Centre, but expressed confidence that that the Agriculture Minister Shivaraj Singh Chauhan will do a better job as he was aware of the farming community’s problems after having served as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh for multiple terms.
People were expecting Mr. Chauhan to do good work for the farming community, Mr. Kumaraswamy said.
Reacting to a question on Hindenburg Research’s latest allegations against Chairperson of Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Madhabi Buch that she and her husband had stakes in obscure offshore funds used in the alleged Adani money siphoning scandal, Mr. Kumaraswamy said the Finance Department will look into the issues.
However, he said the Narendra Modi government will not shield anybody involved in any sort of illegal activities.
With regard to allegations against the Congress government in the State, Mr. Kumaraswamy said the ruling Congress was trying to suppress the Opposition in Karnataka, but added that their efforts will “boomerang” on them.
