‘Seniors being sidelined’: K’taka Cabinet expansion sparks dissent in Congress
Bengaluru: Discontent erupted within the ruling Congress in Karnataka on Monday following the long-awaited expansion of the State Cabinet, with several senior leaders voicing resentment over being denied ministerial berths.
Senior Congress leader and Special Representative of the Karnataka Government in New Delhi, T.B. Jayachandra, expressed disappointment at being overlooked.
“I don’t know whether seniors are being sidelined or honest leaders are being sidelined. I am not able to understand. I am sad,” he said.
The seven-time MLA added that his supporters and community members had expected him to be accommodated in the Cabinet and were now demanding his resignation.
Questioning the selection of ministers, Jayachandra remarked, “Seeing the list, I wonder how we should even call them our ministers.”
He said he would consult his supporters before deciding on his future course of action, adding, “If you see what is happening in the party, there is no discipline.”
The expansion has triggered visible resentment among Congress leaders. A meeting of dissidents and supporters was held at Jayachandra’s residence, reflecting growing unease.
In another setback, Hosadurga MLA B.G. Govindappa resigned from the Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Corporation.
Supporters of former Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar staged a protest by blocking the Bengaluru-Pune highway in Belagavi, demanding justice for their leader after she was excluded from the Cabinet.
Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL) Chairman and senior MLA Appaji Nadagouda also resigned, saying loyal Congress workers had been hurt.
“I am sad. This should not happen in the Congress party. This environment is not good for the party,” he said.
Nadagouda recalled that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had recognised his work and made him a Minister, but lamented that “self-centred politics” was now sidelining committed leaders.
Amid the resentment, former Minister and MLA B.Z. Zameer Ahmad Khan expressed happiness over being inducted into the Cabinet.
“I had expected my name to figure in the very first list, but the release of the audio had become a setback for me. Even though I had hoped to be included in the second list, I was committed to abiding by the high command’s decision,” he said.
Zameer added that he was prepared to continue working for the party even without a ministerial position, but welcomed the responsibility now entrusted to him.
