Bengaluru, Aug 4 — Karnataka Chief Minister, D.K. Shivakumar, on Tuesday appealed to Congress legislators to exercise patience amid discontent over the recent Cabinet expansion, saying political careers should not be jeopardised over ministerial positions and asserting that the party remains more important than individual aspirations.
Responding to media queries in Bengaluru on reports of MLAs threatening to resign after being denied Cabinet berths, CM Shivakumar said resignations were not uncommon in politics, but leaders should remain committed to the party.
"It keeps happening in politics. We cannot prevent those who decide to resign. If they want to grow politically, the party is important. If there is a party, there will be opportunities," he said.
Recalling his own political journey, the Chief Minister said he, too, had faced disappointment when he was denied a ministerial berth during the tenures of former Chief Ministers N. Dharam Singh and Siddaramaiah.
Shivakumar said Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara and he had remained patient despite setbacks. He also cited several senior Congress leaders who were denied ministerial positions but later rose to occupy higher offices.
Referring to the late Veerendra Patil's tenure, Shivakumar noted that former Chief Minister S. Bangarappa had not been inducted into the Cabinet. He also said Mallikarjun Kharge and the late N. Dharam Singh had initially missed out on ministerial opportunities but later became Chief Ministers and held key positions.
"The leaders need to remain patient in this situation. The party is very important," he said.
The Chief Minister also made it clear that if any MLA chose to resign, the resignation would be accepted without delay.
"If anyone is going to tender resignation, I am going to accept it within a few minutes," he warned.
Shivakumar said the government was in the process of restructuring boards and corporations and reiterated that appointments to these bodies, as well as ministerial positions, would be for a tenure of two-and-a-half years.
He said he would first seek resignations from party workers currently serving on boards and corporations before filling those positions and then hold discussions with legislators individually regarding their concerns.
On the Cabinet expansion, Shivakumar said he had already conveyed the party's stand and had nothing further to add.
Turning to governance, the Chief Minister said all ministers had been directed to begin visiting their assigned districts from Wednesday to assess the prevailing drought and flood situation. He added that officials had also been instructed to facilitate the field inspections to ensure prompt assessment and necessary government intervention.