Karnataka: Minister lands in a sugary muddle

Belagavi: The state government was caught on the wrong foot in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, when BJP member Mr Laxman Savadi raised a question on why the sugar stocks in all factories which had not paid pending dues to sugarcane farmers had not been seized.

During the debate on the cooperatives department, Mr Savadi said that the government had seized some sugar factories, though there was no sugar in the godowns.

Cooperatives Minister Mr Mahadev Prasad and other Congress members wanted to know the name of the sugar factories, and Mr Savadi replied that he would give the list to the Speaker.

An argument then ensured on why Mr Savadi had picked the subject, if he was giving the names to the Speaker. Mr Mahadev Prasad, in a fit of rage said that he would get the issue investigated and suspend the officials, if the allegations were true.

Mr Savadi said that there was no sugar in the godowns of Ghataprabha Cooperative Sugar Mills. Immediately Mr Mahadev Prasad rose to his feet and said that the government had not seized Ghataprabha factory at all and there was no question of sugar not being in its godown.

At this juncture, Mr Savadi asked why the government did not seize the factory, though it had defaulted in paying arrears to farmers for many years. He wanted to know why the government was showing disparity in seizing the factories.

When Mr Mahadev Prasad said that he could answer only on the seizure of the  sugar factory, the entire opposition rose to its feet and wanted to know why the government was showing favours to only Ghataprabha factory.

At the end, Speaker Mr Kagodu Thimmappa intervened and asked the minister to get details of  Ghataprabha sugar mills through the deputy commissioner of the district concerned.