Ramalinga Reddy resigns after portfolio row in Karnataka Cabinet, Cong faces turmoil
Veteran Congress leader reportedly upset over denial of Bengaluru Urban Development portfolio, says he was promised the key post and refuses Water Resources charge
Following the allocation of portfolios in the Karnataka cabinet, internal dissent has erupted within the ruling Congress camp. Senior leader and minister Ramalinga Reddy has expressed strong dissatisfaction after not being allotted the much-anticipated Bengaluru Urban Development portfolio and has resigned from his ministerial post.
He is reportedly deeply upset over being assigned the Water Resources Department instead of the Bengaluru development portfolio. In this context, he has already submitted his resignation and is expected to forward it to Chief Minister DK Shivakumar shortly.
Breach of promise by high command?
“It was earlier promised that I would be given the Bengaluru Urban Development portfolio,” Reddy is said to have mentioned in his resignation letter. Unwilling to accept the Water Resources portfolio allotted to him, he has decided to step down as a minister and continue only as an MLA, according to sources close to him.
This sudden expression of displeasure and decision to resign has created turmoil within Congress circles, and it remains to be seen how the high command and the chief minister will resolve this crisis.
(This article was originally published in The Federal Karnataka.)