Congress MLAs Yashavantarayagouda V Patil and Belur Gopalakrishna resigned over cabinet exclusion.
Patil accused the party leadership of failing to honour its ministerial promise.
His supporters protested in Bengaluru, alleging unfair treatment by the Congress.
Karnataka Cabinet Expansion Triggers Resignations Of Two Congress MLAs
Yashavantarayagouda Patil accused the Congress leadership of breaking its promise, while Belur Gopalakrishna’s resignation added to growing unrest within the party.
Summary
Two Congress legislators resigned from the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Monday after they were left out in the expanded state cabinet.
Indi MLA Yashavantarayagouda V Patil and Sagar MLA Belur Gopalakrishna announced their decisions shortly before the swearing-in ceremony for the newly appointed ministers.
Patil submitted his resignation to Deputy Speaker Rudrappa Lamani at Vidhana Soudha. His supporters later staged a demonstration in Bengaluru, alleging that the party leadership had treated him unfairly.
Gopalakrishna also resigned from the Assembly, adding to the pressure on the Congress leadership ahead of the cabinet expansion.
Speaking to reporters, Patil claimed that his name had remained on the list of prospective ministers until Monday morning and that he had even received an intimation. However, his name was missing from the final list issued by the party.
“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.
Patil maintained that his decision was not driven merely by the desire for a ministerial position.
“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,” he said.
He further alleged that the party had assured him of a ministerial berth before the 2023 Assembly elections.
“I was promised a ministerial post even before the 2023 Karnataka assembly polls, but during the government formation, I was told it would happen after 2.5 years, but 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,” Patil said.
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Calling himself a “mature politician” who had contested eight elections, Patil said he would stand by his decision.
“I never back down from my decisions; this is an insult to the voters of my constituency,” he asserted.
The Congress government is scheduled to induct 20 ministers into the state cabinet, with the oath-taking ceremony set to take place at 5 pm at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru.
The expansion comes nearly two months after DK Shivakumar assumed office as chief minister.
The resignations are expected to intensify internal discontent within the Congress, as several party leaders are reportedly unhappy over being excluded from the new cabinet.
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