Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industries Som Parkash had lunch in the house of a Dalit woman in Hindalga village of Belagavi district on Tuesday.
The host, Bayavva Vasant Maste, 87, has served as a member of the local gram panchayat in the past. Her husband passed away some years ago and she lives alone as her two sons have moved out after marriage.
She said that she had cooked a simple meal based on the local cuisine of jowar roti, jhunka, rice and some dal. She said that she prepared the food with the help of her daughter-in-law who lives nearby.
She told journalists that her application for a gas cylinder under the Ujjwala scheme was turned down as she owned a small piece of agricultural land. She lives in a kuccha house with a tin roof in Siddhartha Nagar, Hindalga village.
Some BJP workers who observed that Bayavva Maste’s house had a calendar with the images of Congress leaders Lakshmi Hebbalkar, MLA, and Channaraj Hattiholi, MLC, removed it and kept it aside.
Mr. Parkash interacted with Bayavva Maste and asked her about her family. He also asked her if she has benefited from any Central government scheme. He told journalists that he was happy with the implementation of Centrally-funded schemes in the State.
Hindalga village came to limelight after Santosh Patil, BJP worker and civil contractor, ended his life after complaining that 40% commission was sought for bill clearance following which controversy K.S. Eshwarappa resigned as Minister.
Asked if Mr. Parkash will look into such allegations, district in-charge Minister Govind Karjol said that such allegations were baseless. “Congress leaders keep making such allegations as they have nothing else to do,’’ he said.
“Mr. Parkash is one of the 73 MPs who are touring various States to see how Central schemes are being implemented,’’ Mr. Karjol said.
Later, Mr. Parkash distributed ration kits to beneficiaries from a fair price shop in Basavana Kudachi. He said that the ration shop is being efficiently run by the local agriculture cooperative. The Minister said that the beneficiaries of the One Nation, One Ration scheme will get subsidised foodgrains from any fair price shop across the country. The Minister also inspected works under Jal Jivan Mission in Kolikoppa village.
Mr. Parkash visited the Swami Vivekananda memorial, Durga Devi temple and Kamala Basadi in Belagavi Fort. He later visited the Kittur Rani Channamma Zoo in Bhootaramanahatti village.
Members of Parliament Mangala Angadi and Annasaheb Jolle, the former MLA Sanjay Patil, Deputy Commissioner Nitesh Patil, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer H.V. Darshan and other officers were present.
