Belagavi(Karnataka): Former union minister and eminent farmer leader Babagouda Patil succumbed to Covid in a hospital here on Friday, family sources said.
The 76-year old leader was undergoing treatment at the KLES Dr Prabhakar Kore hospital where he died, the sources said. He is survived by his wife, two sons, and two daughters.
Born on January 6, 1945, at Chikka Bagewadi in Belagavi district, Patil did his BSc RL Science Institute in Belagavi. Babagouda contested from Belagavi Rural and Kittur constituencies in 1989 and entered the Assembly with a record victory in both the constituencies. He won the Lok Sabha election from Belgaum constituency in 1998. He had expressed outrage at the Center's new farm laws and demanded the withdrawal of the act.
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He then became the Minister of State for Rural Development (independent charge) in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. Mourning his death, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said Babagouda Patil was at the forefront of farmers' struggle.
"He was one of the founder members of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha who was always concerned about the farmers and worked towards their well-being. He had also served as the Union Minister in the A B Vajpayee government," the Chief Minister tweeted.
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Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa said he was shocked to learn about the demise of Patil.
"Patil had entered politics through peasant struggle. He was one of the foremost farmer leaders in the country. May his soul rest in peace," Eshwarappa tweeted.
With inputs from PTI
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