Karnataka’s Minister for Food and Civil Supplies and Forest and Ecology Umesh Vishwanath Katti died of a heart attack in Bengaluru late on Tuesday night. The 61-year-old BJP leader, a resident of Hukkeri taluk in Belagavi district, died at a private hospital.
His family sources said that he had suffered a heart attack twice in the past as well. Revenue Minister R.K., who briefed the media at Ramaiah Hospital. Ashok said Mr Katti suffered a heart attack at his Dollar Colony home in Bengaluru and was taken to a hospital. But the doctors failed to revive him.
long career
Born in 1961, Shri Katti was one of the stalwarts of Karnataka and served in the Legislative Assembly for nearly four decades. He had contested nine elections and won eight of them. He became the first minister in the late JH Patel’s cabinet and has since served as a minister under four BJP chief ministers. He served in the cabinets of BS Yediyurappa, DV Sadananda Gowda, Jagadish Shettar and Basavaraj Bommai.
His entry into politics was sudden. Contested by-election from Hukkeri after the death of his father Vishwanath Katti.
Shift to BJP
An ardent follower of Ramakrishna Hegde, he spent half his public life in Janata Parivar parties. He joined BJP in 2008. He won the 2008 election as a JD(S) candidate from Hukkeri and later joined the BJP known as ‘Operation Lotus’ and won the by-elections from the saffron party. Since then he was in BJP.
He and his brother Ramesh Katti dominated the cooperative sector in northern Karnataka. The brothers and their children own or operate three sugar factories. Mr. Ramesh Katti is the Chairman of District Central Co-operative Bank.
Known for his controversial remarks, which some called “reckless”, he said Karnataka would be divided into North Karnataka and South Karnataka and that he or his son would become the Chief Minister of “North Karnataka”.
Sources said Mr Katti’s body would be shifted to his native village Bellada Bagewadi in Hukkeri taluk for the last rites.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and many leaders across party lines have condoled his death.