Congress MLA H.K. Patil Threatens Resignation Over Drought Status

Congress MLA and former minister H.K. Patil has issued an ultimatum to resign his legislatorship by October 10 if the Karnataka government does not officially declare the Gadag district and other eligible regions as drought-hit. In a letter to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Patil accused state officials of distorting facts and ignoring the Chief Minister's own directions following a September 1 visit to the devastated region. He specifically highlighted that 27 of 73 taluks in the Kittur Karnataka region remain unrecognized despite rainfall deficits between 40 and 60 percent.

Patil alleged that the Department of Economics and Statistics used flawed data that failed to account for the water-retention characteristics of black cotton soil in North Karnataka. Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayareddy supported these demands, urging the government to declare Gadag, Ron, and Mundaragi taluks as drought-hit due to rain deficiencies reaching 48 percent. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara stated that the government is assessing taluks in phases, noting that 124 have already been declared drought-hit with over 200 expected eventually.

The Janata Dal (Secular) seized on the internal Congress rift, criticizing the administration as Bengaluru-centric and questioning the efficiency of the state's administrative machinery. Patil indicated he will apply political pressure during the current legislative session and continue persuasion efforts until October 2 before making a final decision on his resignation.