“I resigned because they did not keep their word”: Congress MLA Patil withdraws resignation after talks with party state in-charge Surjewala

Congress MLA Yashavantharaya Gouda V Patil has withdrawn his resignation after meeting with Congress state in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala. Patil had resigned earlier after being left out of the Karnataka cabinet expansion.

According to Patil, Surjewala visited his residence and held discussions with him for nearly two hours, explaining the party’s position and assuring him. After the meeting, Patil consulted with party workers and decided to withdraw his resignation.

Patil stated that he had initially resigned because the party did not fulfill its promise of giving him a ministerial berth. “They had earlier promised me that they would give me a ministerial position. But they did not keep their word. Hurt by this, I submitted my resignation,” he said.

The development comes amid discontent within the ruling Congress after the recent cabinet expansion. Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had downplayed the tensions within the Congress camp after two MLAs, including Patil and Belur Gopalakrishna, offered their resignations for not getting a cabinet berth.

On Monday, 19 Congress MLAs took the oath as ministers. Several senior Congress leaders, including HK Patil, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Shivanand Patil, RB Thimmapur, RV Deshpande, K Venkatesh, Krishnappa, Tanveer Sait, Appaji Nadagouda, and HC Mahadevappa, were also left out of the expanded ministry. Their exclusion has sparked discussions within the party over seniority, regional representation, and community balance in the allocation of portfolios.

Article and image source: hongkongherald.com