Katti had drawn flak in February when he declared families with TVs and two-wheelers should surrender their Below Poverty Line cards or face action
BELAGAVI: Karnataka food and civil supplies minister Umesh V Katti, who has made headlines in the past with his controversial statements, landed in fresh trouble after he told a farmer-activist enquiring about foodgrain allotment to “go die”, following it up by saying that it is a “good time for farmers to die”.
The audio clip of the conversation on phone went viral on Wednesday, causing major embarrassment to the BJP government in the state.
In the clip, the activist asks Katti why his department has reduced the quantity of 5kg free rice under PDS at a time when people are reeling under the pandemic and lockdown. Katti responds that the state government has not reduced the quantity of foodgrain: it will provide 2kg of rice, along with 3kg of ragi (finger millet) in south Karnataka, and jowar (sorghum) in north Karnataka.