Bengaluru: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President, B.K. Hariprasad, on Tuesday dismissed reports of widespread dissent following the recent Cabinet expansion, asserting that there was no dissatisfaction among Congress legislators and that no MLA had submitted a resignation.
Addressing the media at the KPCC office in Bengaluru, Hariprasad said it was impossible to accommodate everyone in the Cabinet and urged party leaders to understand the constraints involved in the expansion exercise.
“Everyone should understand that all cannot be given opportunities. There is no dearth of leadership in the Congress. Everyone is a leader. To provide opportunities to new faces, some senior leaders have missed out this time,” he said.
Hariprasad said the party had ensured representation to all communities in the expanded Cabinet and added that discussions would be held with leaders who were disappointed over not being inducted.
“Leaders such as Krishnappa, Priya Krishna and Mankal Vaidya, who have expressed dissatisfaction, will be invited for discussions,” he said.
Mankal Vaidya’s name had figured in the initial list of probable ministers but was omitted from the final list, with senior Congress leader S.S. Mallikarjun being inducted instead.
Responding to criticism from the BJP, Hariprasad accused the previous BJP government led by former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai of failing to provide equitable regional representation in its Cabinet.
“During the BJP government under Basavaraj Bommai, 13 districts were not represented in the Cabinet. The BJP should first explain how it ensured equitable representation during its tenure before criticising the Congress,” he said.
Hariprasad also defended the state government’s record on social representation, claiming the party had provided opportunities to historically marginalised communities.
“It is the Congress that has, for the first time in history, provided opportunities to members of exploited communities. In the present Cabinet, the son of a civic worker has been made a minister,” he said.
Rejecting speculation about resignations, Hariprasad said there was no serious discontent within the party and expressed confidence that any leaders who had threatened to resign would withdraw their decisions.
On the absence of women in the newly expanded Cabinet, Hariprasad acknowledged the concern and said the issue would be discussed within the party.
“Women have not been given an opportunity this time. I will discuss the issue. There should be women ministers,” he said.
Maintaining that the overall Cabinet expansion had been satisfactory, Hariprasad said the exercise had largely achieved its objective of balancing experience, regional representation and opportunities for new faces.
(IANS)
