A teacher in Karnataka, who had questioned a Union Minister, was suspended this week, after an apparent audio clip of their conversation went viral. The education department issued the orders on Thursday, suspending teacher Kushal Patil of Hedapura village in Bidar district.
According to reports, Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Bhagwanth Khuba received a call from Kushal Patil, who questioned the lack of availability of fertilisers, to which the Minister is heard saying he can’t do anything about it. The Union Minister said that he had already sent fertiliser to the states and asked Patil, who is said to be the son of a farmer, to approach the local MLA. The conversation then heats up as Patil dares the Minister to seek votes from his village and says that the politician will not get elected again from the Bidar Lok Sabha constituency. "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 was quoted as saying by TNIE.
As the audio clip went viral, an inquiry was initiated and a preliminary report was submitted by the local Block Education Officer. Based on this, the Deputy Director of Public Instruction issued the suspension orders on charges of dereliction of duty and “irresponsibility and misconduct by intentionally recording the telephonic conversation and making it viral on social media platforms,” The Hindu reported.
Speaking to the newspaper, Patil said that he hailed from an agricultural family, which was struggling to get fertilisers over the past few seasons. He added that the people had voted Bhagwanth Khuba into power and had the right to approach and question him about their problems.