Bangalore: Karnataka minister (minister for food, civil supplies and consumer affairs and forest) Umesh Katti, aged 61, died due to cardiac arrest at a private hospital here on Tuesday night, official sources said.
Sources said that Katti passed out in the bathroom of his Dollar's Colony home and was taken to the hospital.
When Katti was brought to the hospital, the doctors said that he had no pulse, State Revenue Minister R. Ashoka said. He termed Katti’s death a huge loss to the Bharatiya Janata Party and to the Belagavi district.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai expressed sorrow on the passing of his cabinet colleague and "close friend," saying the state has lost an experienced statesman, energetic leader, and a devoted public servant.
When they heard the news, a number of Bommai's cabinet colleagues, including the ministers for water resources Govind Karjol and K. Sudhkar, the minister for health, and a number of BJP officials, hurried to the hospital.
"Deeply heartbroken to learn about the passing of food and civil supplies minister Umesh Katti," wrote former chief minister and opposition leader Siddaramaiah in a tweet. My sincere condolences go out to the grieving family. May he rest in peace, his soul.
Katti was an eight-time MLA from the Hukkeri assembly constituency and was born in Belladbagewadi in the Hukkeri taluk of the Belagavi district. After the death of his father, Vishwanath Katti, in 1985, he entered politics.
Before joining the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2008, Katti was with the Janata Party, Janata Dal, JD(U) and JD(S). He had earlier served as a minister in the Cabinet headed by J H Patel, B S Yediyurappa, D V Sadananda Gowda and agadish Shettar.
Katti frequently made headlines for his words calling for statehood for the north Karnataka region and for openly declaring his desire to become chief minister.
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