NEW DELHI: Karnataka chief minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday downplayed the resignation of two Congress MLAs who quit the legislative assembly after being left out of the state cabinet expansion, saying “it is a part of politics.“Shivakumar said, “Resignations are a part of politics. No one can stop those who want to resign. If they want the party and a political future, they should stay.”Drawing from his own political journey, the chief minister said he too had been denied ministerial berths in the past but chose to remain with the party.“If there is a party, everything else follows. When I was denied a ministerial berth during the tenures of Dharam Singh and Siddaramaiah, I could have resigned too. Didn’t G Parameshwara and I remain patient?” he said.Shivakumar also said he had directed all ministers to immediately visit their respective districts to assess the drought relief situation.The remarks came a day after Congress MLAs Yashavantarayagouda V Patil (Indi) and Belur Gopalakrishna (Sagar) resigned from the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, expressing disappointment over being excluded from the cabinet expansion.Patil submitted his resignation to Deputy Speaker Rudrappa Lamani at the Vidhana Soudha. Soon after, his supporters staged a protest in Bengaluru, alleging that he had been treated unfairly by the party.Gopalakrishna also resigned, adding to the pressure on the Congress leadership ahead of the swearing-in ceremony for the new ministers.Speaking to reporters, Patil claimed his name had been included in the list of ministers until the last moment but was dropped from the final announcement.“I have been watching the developments within the party; ultimately today, during the expansion, our leadership failed to keep the promise made. So, without any other option, it was inevitable for me to resign. I have submitted the resignation,” he said.
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“It is not acceptable to my conscience. The situation in Vijayapura district is that loyalty and honesty are not valued in the Congress party. I have no other choice. I will speak to my supporters and well-wishers and decide on the future course of action,” Patil said.“I was promised a ministerial post even before the 2023 Assembly polls, but during the government formation, I was told it would happen after 2.5 years. They failed to keep the promise. I have no other choice. I’m not quitting the party, but they have created an atmosphere compelling me to resign,” he added.The expansion comes around two months after DK Shivakumar assumed office as chief minister and is expected to be one of the biggest reshuffles in the state.
