The political fallout from Karnataka’s cabinet expansion has escalated, with several senior leaders voicing strong resentment after being denied ministerial berths. Unmoved by the dissent, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar reportedly said that if any MLA decides to resign, he would “accept it within a few minutes.” He added that he would personally speak to each legislator to address their concerns.
“I have instructed all the ministers that they should immediately begin visiting all drought-affected areas from tomorrow itself. Don’t waste time. From tomorrow itself, you should visit all the districts. Have given instructions to all the officers to make arrangements for all the site visits. Everyone should get involved in this work. You must go to all the districts,” the chief minister said.
The statement comes amidst the oath-taking ceremony of twenty new MLAs on Monday, making the cabinet at its full strength following Shivakumar taking charge. Those who took the oath on Monday included PM Narendraswamy, Shivaraj Tangadagi, Rudrappa Lamani, KS Basavanthappa, B Nagendra, T Raghumoorthy, B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rizwan Arshad, Santosh Lad, Madhu Bangarappa, Putturangashetty, SS Mallikarjun, Dr. Ajay Singh, N Chaluvaraya Swamy, KM Shivalinge Gowda, HC Balakrishna, Gayathri Shanthegowda, Basavaraj Rayareddi, Vijayanand Kashappanavar, and Laxman Savadi.
Chief Minister said, “Look, those who are resigning are all doing politics. No one can stop people who want to resign. They need a party, and they also need a future, that is with the party. If there is a party, this is it. I could have resigned during Dharam Singh’s time, or at different times, or during Siddaramaiah’s time when all my ministers were sidelining me. Was I not patient, even with Parameshwara. During Virendra Patil’s time it was not given to Bangarappa, it was not given to Kharge Saheb, it was not given to Dharam Singh. Didn’t all of them eventually become Chief Ministers…”
Talking about those who were left out of the cabinet, he asked them to be patient.
“During Virendra Patil’s time, it was not given to Bangarappa, it was not given to Kharge Saheb, and it was not given to Dharam Singh. “Didn’t all of them eventually become chief ministers?” he said.
“In such situations, everyone has to be patient. The party is very important. If someone resigns, I will accept it within a few minutes,” he highlighted.
