Cooperation Minister Shivanand Patil may have made a statement about farmers wishing for drought by mistake, Public Works Minister and KPCC working president Satish Jarkiholi said in Belagavi on Monday.
“No farmer wishes for drought. They suffer badly during droughts. Also, a drought has a negative impact on the whole society and economy and not just farmers. Mr. Patil seems to have made the statement by mistake. I am sure he has regretted it later. Anyway, he is a senior Minister and we cannot tell him much,” he said.
He said that the State government is committed to removing the ban on hijab in schools and colleges. “That has been our stand for long. We opposed it when it was imposed and we made it clear in our election manifesto. That is the stand we will take before the Supreme Court,” he said.
“There is nothing wrong in expressing our stated opinion about issues that are pending before court,” he replied to a query.
He said that the KPCC has begun the groundwork on the selection of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. “We are holding meetings with workers in each Parliamentary constituency and asking them to suggest names of candidates. We have already held some meetings in Belagavi and Chikkodi and we will have a meeting in Vijayapura on Tuesday,” he said.
He said that the party has promised to consider candidates of various communities, including Kurubas and other OBCs, but has never assured the communities of party ticket.
