Teacher questions Union Minister on supply of fertilisers, suspended

A teacher, who questioned Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Bhagwanth Khuba from Karnataka, was suspended on Thursday.

The alleged audio clip of the teacher questioning Minister Khuba had gone viral on social media earlier. Minister Khuba's rapping of the teacher for questioning him had drawn sharp criticism from public.

The education department has suspended teacher Kushal Patil from Hedapura village of Aurad taluk in Bidar district. Sources explain that he is being punished for questioning the politician.

According to the audio clip, Minister Khuba who receives a call from Patil gets miffed on being asked about non-availability of fertilisers.

In the audio clip, Minister Khuba is heard saying he can't do anything about the non-availability of fertilisers. There are thousands of workers who will take care of the supply of fertilisers and ask the farmer to go to them.

He further states that his job was to send fertiliser to the states which he has done and asked the farmer to approach the local MLA and employees. The minister also tells the farmer that he has better things to take care of.

When the teacher challenges the Minister that he won't get elected next time from the constituency, the latter says that knows how to win elections.

The minister also asks the caller to do whatever he can. "I am the minister under the government of India and take care of the states. You should go to your MLA and officers," the minister says.

The conversation has gone viral on social media and WhatsApp groups in Karnataka triggering a debate over the minister's response.

Union Minister Khuba, in his clarification to the incident, has stated that the person who called him on phone was not a farmer but a teacher. Media reported that he was a farmer. "He is a government school teacher and had tried to contact me three-four times", he added.

Minister Khuba maintained that he returned his call thinking that he might have an important issue. On the pretext of asking for fertiliser, the man used abusive words on him. The audio has been edited and a part of it has been made deliberately viral to cause damage to the party and him, he claimed.

(With agency inputs)