Bengaluru: Karnataka Home, IT & BT Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday defended the Congress leadership over the recent Cabinet expansion, urging disappointed party leaders to respect the organisation and accept the decisions of the high command and remember that “when we were nothing, the party identified us and gave us opportunities.”
Priyank Kharge is son of AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge.
Addressing reporters in Bengaluru amid growing dissent from several Congress MLAs and senior leaders who missed Cabinet berths, Kharge said no individual was bigger than the party and reminded colleagues that the Congress had given them the platform to enter public life.
“My friends have been saying that the party exists because of us and not the other way around. But we must remember that it was we who approached the party seeking its symbol. The party recognised us, gave us the B-form and provided us the opportunity to contest elections. We should not forget how we waited for opportunities and stood at the doors of the party office,” Kharge said.
He added that it was inappropriate for leaders to make statements against the party or its leadership.
“When we were nothing, the party identified us and gave us opportunities. Even if I have been given an opportunity today, I am not bigger than the party. I, too, waited for leaders and stood at the party’s doorstep for opportunities,” he said.
Explaining the challenges involved in Cabinet formation, Kharge said the leadership had to balance regional representation, social justice, caste equations and the need to groom younger leaders.
“We need to ensure regional representation, social justice has to be considered and the younger generation must be groomed. Naturally, it is a difficult task. The national leadership has balanced all these factors and has honestly made an attempt to constitute a good Cabinet. Dissatisfaction is natural, and the national leaders are individually speaking to those who are unhappy,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar continued efforts to contain the discontent within the party.
Senior Congress MLA Yashwanthrayagouda Patil, who submitted his resignation to the Speaker after being denied a ministerial berth, was contacted by the Chief Minister over the phone. Shivakumar reportedly pacified the legislator and assured him that he would personally visit his residence.
Minister Laxman Savadi and MLA Vinay Kulkarni also visited Yashwanthrayagouda Patil’s residence to persuade him to reconsider his decision. The senior MLA has since returned to his Indi Assembly constituency and is holding discussions with his supporters.
The Chief Minister also spoke to former minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, requesting him to remain patient and accept the decision of the Congress high command.
In another development, leaders from the Brahmin community urged the Chief Minister to include a representative from the community in the Cabinet.
They pointed out that the Congress had historically enjoyed the support of the Brahmin community and recalled that late S. Gundu Rao, hailing from community, had served as Karnataka Chief Minister.
They argued it is first time since three decades, the community had not been given representation in the state Cabinet.
Brahmin Development Corporation President Asagodu Jayasimha demanded that the community be accommodated in the ministry, stating that a significant section of Brahmins has always supported the Congress.
He noted that this was the second Cabinet expansion under Chief Minister Shivakumar and expressed disappointment over the absence of a Brahmin minister.
Adding to the political controversy, former minister H. Vishwanath targetting former CM Siddaramaiah, alleged that a former Chief Minister played a role in preventing senior Congress leader Tanveer Sait from securing a Cabinet berth.
Vishwanath claimed the former CM believed that accommodating Tanveer Sait in the Cabinet would reduce the political influence of his son in the Mysuru region.
“The Cabinet reflects the ideology of the Congress government, but senior leader Tanveer Sait should have been given an opportunity. Siddaramaiah has damaged the state for his selfish political interests,” Vishwanath alleged.
(IANS)
