Karnataka special session: Indi Congress MLA’s resignation over drought status embarrasses government

Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar during the special session in the Karnataka assembly in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: The Hindu The resignation of Congress MLA Yashwanthrayagouda V. Patil of Indi taluk in Vijayapura district over the failure to declare his constituency drought-hit embarrassed the D.K. Shivakumar-led government in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday (September 23, 2026).Mr. Patil submitted his resignation to Speaker G.S. Patil on September 22, saying he was unable to meet the expectations of people in his constituency amid the drought situation. He said farmers had suffered crop losses, and people and livestock were facing water shortages.Mr. Patil’s resignation was his second such move this year. In August, he had resigned from the Assembly after being denied a Cabinet berth but withdrew it following persuasion by Congress leaders.BJP takes up issueRaising the issue during the debate on drought, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashok demanded that the Speaker announce whether he had accepted or rejected the resignation or kept it pending. BJP members raised slogans of “shame, shame” against the government.Mr. Ashok recalled Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s earlier statement that he would accept a resignation within minutes if any legislator resigned and questioned the delay in deciding on Mr. Patil’s resignation. He said the resignation reflected the government’s failure to handle the drought situation, leading to heated exchanges between the Opposition and Treasury benches.In his resignation letter, Mr. Patil said farmers in Indi had borrowed money to sow crops and purchase fertilisers after receiving some spells of rain. However, the subsequent failure of timely rainfall had resulted in crop losses and shortages of water for people and livestock.He said he had submitted representations to the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara, who also holds the Revenue portfolio, on August 28, seeking that Indi be declared drought-hit.Of the 13 taluks in Vijayapura district, 11 have been declared drought-hit, while Indi and Chadchan have been left out, he said. The State has so far declared 188 taluks drought-hit. Resignation letter by Congress MLA Yashwanthrayagouda V. Patil. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement ‘Pressure tactics work’“As an MLA from the ruling party, I did not want to cause embarrassment to the government and adopted a nuanced approach. There is no value to my words or feelings,” Mr Patil said in his letter. He added that, in the prevailing political atmosphere, those who were powerful or used pressure tactics were able to get things done, while there was little space for those who adopted a gentle approach.During the heated debate, Mr. Parameshwara blamed the BJP-led Union government for restricting the State’s ability to declare more taluks drought-hit. “We have written 10 letters to the Centre seeking relaxation in the drought manual,” he said. A farmer sits on his dry agriculture land in Shivamogga district, in Karnataka, which is facing drought. During the heated debate, Mr. Parameshwara blamed the BJP-led Union government for restricting the State’s ability to declare more taluks drought-hit | Photo Credit: S.K. Dinesh Mr. Shivakumar said the government was not discriminating against constituencies on the basis of political affiliation. “I cannot decide on declaring drought taluks. There are parameters. Many MLAs are asking us to declare their constituencies drought-hit,” he said.Describing Mr. Patil’s resignation as an emotional response, Mr. Shivakumar said, "The Indi MLA was emotional. I have pacified him.”After the Opposition and the government presented their arguments, the Speaker told the House that he had rejected Mr. Patil’s resignation, as it did not comply with the rules.Mr. Patil’s latest resignation came a day after senior Congress legislator and former Minister H.K. Patil said he would resign if Gadag taluk was not declared drought-hit by October 10. Now, the Gadag taluk has been given the drought tag. Published - September 23, 2026 06:53 pm IST