BENGALURU: Two Congress MLAs resigned from the Karnataka Legislative assembly on Monday after they were left out of the state cabinet expansion.Indi MLA Yashavantarayagouda V Patil and Sagar MLA Belur Gopalakrishna announced their resignations ahead of the swearing-in ceremony for the new ministers.Patil handed his resignation to deputy speaker Rudrappa Lamani at Vidhana Soudha.Soon after, his supporters staged a protest in Bengaluru, alleging that he had been treated unfairly.Gopalakrishna also resigned from the Assembly, increasing pressure on the Congress leadership as it prepared for the cabinet expansion.Later speaking to reporters, Patil said his name was on the list until this morning, and he had even received intimation, but it did not figure in the final list released 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.Clarifying that he was not quitting for the sake of position, Patil said, “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.”“I was promised a ministerial post even before the 2023 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,” he said.Describing himself as a “mature politician” who has faced eight elections, he asserted, “I never back down from my decisions; this is an insult to the voters of my constituency.”The Congress government is set to induct 20 ministers into the state cabinet, with the oath-taking ceremony scheduled for 5pm at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru.The expansion comes about two months after D K Shivakumar took charge as chief minister.The resignations are likely to deepen dissatisfaction within the party, with several leaders reportedly unhappy over being left out of the new cabinet.(With agency inputs)
