2 days ago
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After being denied the Bengaluru Development portfolio, elder Congress legislator from Bengaluru Ramalinga Reddy, who has been allocated Water Resources, sent his resignation missive to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
On Friday, successful a melodramatic crook of events, helium signed the resignation missive successful the beingness of the media and displayed it. Stating that helium volition not personally taxable his resignation that has been addressed to the Chief Minister, Mr. Reddy said helium would nonstop it done an official.
“I americium unhappy and cannot enactment against my conscience. Hence, I americium resigning. I volition stay successful the Congress and enactment arsenic a legislator,” helium said, pointing retired a committedness made by Mr. Shivakumar to springiness him the Bengaluru Development portfolio.
Brewing discontent
Discontent was brewing since Wednesday nighttime arsenic speculation was rife that the Bengaluru Development portfolio would spell to Krishna Byre Gowda, and Mr. Reddy had besides met the Chief Minister connected Thursday. His resignation seems to person travel aft helium was told that the determination connected portfolios came from the cardinal enactment that could not beryllium changed.
The eight-time legislator, who is known to wield important power connected voters successful East and North Bengaluru, is being seen arsenic an important fig up of the elections to 5 corporations successful the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) region.
Mr. Reddy told presspersons, “I person not lobbied for a ministerial presumption with Mr. Shivakumar, erstwhile Chief Minister Siddaramaiah oregon the precocious command. I americium blessed they took maine into the Cabinet. Mr. Shivakumar had promised to springiness maine Bengaluru Development. I had not asked for it. The portfolio has been denied to maine twice.”
Mr. Reddy served arsenic Transport Minister successful the Siddaramaiah-led authorities successful this term. Over decades, helium has worked successful governments headed by M. Veerappa Moily, S.M. Krishna, N. Dharam Singh, and Mr. Siddaramaiah.
Supporters of Mr. Reddy staged protests successful BTM Layout, his constituency, expressing solidarity with the leader.
‘This is humiliation’
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Reddy said, “This is humiliation. I person served arsenic a corporator successful Bengaluru and person been elected MLA continuously. I was promised the Bengaluru Development portfolio earlier. How agelong tin I tolerate this? What different enactment did I have?”
He said helium did not privation to blasted anyone, but a committedness should person been kept. “I harbour nary choler against Mr. Shivakumar, Mr. Siddaramaiah oregon the enactment precocious bid led by Mallikarjun Kharge,” helium added.
Wake-up call, says Patil
Former Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil, who was not inducted into the Cabinet connected Wednesday, said connected X that the resignation of Ramalinga Reddy was a “wake up call.’ He wrote, “I petition my person Ramalinga Reddy again to reconsider his basal successful the larger involvement of the party. His resignation is simply a monolithic aftermath up call. I impulse the applicable leaders to bestow their superior attraction to resoluteness this substance justly.”
