Hours after Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy announced his decision to resign as Karnataka state minister, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar sought to defuse the situation, saying he would “resolve the issue” and “make everything fine”.
Reddy resigned earlier on Friday, expressing his dissatisfaction over the allocation of ministerial portfolios in the Karnataka government. He said he wanted the Bengaluru development portfolio, but was instead appointed Minister for Major and Medium Irrigation Projects.
However, Shivakumar said Reddy was a “great friend”, while asserting that there was “nothing to worry about”. “There is nothing to worry about. He is a great friend. We are the closest friends in the Cabinet. We will solve the problem,” Shivakumar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. Elaborating on his conversation with Reddy, he said the Congress MLA had asked for “another cabinet post”.
“Ramalinga Reddy is my colleague and our senior leader. He said he cannot go to the village and work… I will talk to Ramalinga Reddy and do everything right,” the Karnataka CM added.
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“How long can I bear this humiliation?”: Ramalinga Reddy
Reddy, while announcing that he was tendering his resignation, alleged “humiliation” and said he could not act “against conscience”. “I am resigning from my post because I cannot act against conscience,” Reddy said at a press conference in Bengaluru earlier today. Shivakumar had distributed the ministerial portfolios on Thursday.
“How long could I endure this humiliation, and what other options did I have?” The senior Congress leader added, while also clarifying that he will remain a party member and MLA from Karnataka.
“I am still in the Congress party, I have not resigned from the party. I have been in the Congress party for 53 years,” Reddy said, adding that he had “already taken up many responsibilities within the party.” The Congress leader also said that he had never lobbied for a ministerial berth, while highlighting his previous stints as a minister in the Karnataka government. “I have served as a minister in the governments of former prime ministers M Veerappa Moili and SM Krishna, among others,” he said.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Karg said the issue regarding Reddy’s ministerial role will be resolved through discussions among senior party leaders. “This is something that the elders will discuss and resolve. It is only a matter of time,” Priyank told news agency ANI. While Shivakumar allocated portfolios among the 13 ministers in his cabinet, he retained key departments including Finance, Cabinet Affairs, Personnel Department, Administrative Reforms, Intelligence and all unallocated portfolios.
