Karnataka: Former Mulbagal MLA Kottur Manjunath says politics vitiated, returns to farming

KOLAR: Former Mulbagal MLA Kottur Manjunath is back in his Kottur village, keepng himself busy in farming over the past week.
Manjunath and his family own over 300 acres of land in Kolar. He ploughed the fields himself, and with his wife and family mem bers, he sowed groundnut and ragi seeds.
Manjunath, who was elected to the assembly in 2013 as a Congress-supported Independent candidate, said ever since the lockdown in March, he has been in his village catering to the needs of the people of the taluk.
Manjunath said he has taken a break from politics as it is too vitiated, and will continue to focus o n agriculture in the near future. He, however, made it clear that he won't deviate from his commitment to social service and will be willing to help people.
In the last five to six months, he had not made any political comments or indulged in such activities, he said.
The Congress had fiel ded Manjunath from Mulbagal in the 2018 assembly elections. But his nomination papers were rejected after the Supreme Court set aside his 2013 election over the issue of his caste certificate. Manjunath then got his associate H Nagesh to contest from Mulbagal. Nagesh eventually won the polls an d is now a minister in the BJP government.