Karnataka Congress crisis deepens, seniors Ramalinga Reddy, Roshan Baig feel sidelined

Karnataka Congress leader and former minister Ramalinga Reddy has said he feels sidelined in the party and that the party is ignoring its senior members.

Listen to Story

Advertisement

The coalition government in Karnataka continues to sink deeper into trouble after the Lok Sabha rout. As the BJP looms large over the JDS-Congress coalition, senior Congress leaders say they feel sidelined in the party.

Former Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy has said he was promised a cabinet berth and nothing has been done about it. Reddy wrote a Facebook post, triggering protests by his supporters who reached the Karnataka Congress office with placards and started raising slogans in Reddy's support.

advertisement

In a Facebook post, Reddy said, "The atmosphere is not good for seniors in the party." The former state home minister feels he has been sidelined and seniors should be given priority.

This comes even as talks on expanding Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy's cabinet is on and reports suggest two Independent MLAs may get placed in the ranks.

Now, Ramalinga Reddy has said, "If Congress needs to face tough questions in the coming days, it needs to take care of its seniors who have been sidelined in both party and government. Seniors should be given priority and for this seniors should come together and discuss."

"Party should also make sure that seniors don't quit the party. If this continues, it's difficult for seniors to continue in the party. Party leaders should concentrate on getting rid of the imbalance in the party and the government. Ministers who didn't do well in the election should be given party work and seniors should be taken into the cabinet."

Another Congress leader, Roshan Baig, who had earlier hit out at Karnataka Congress in-charge KC Venugopal, sided with Reddy.

Baig said, "I agree with Ramalinga Reddy. Seniors are being sidelined, we should hold discussions. We can't be mute spectators to what's happening here. Senior leaders like Ramalinga Reddy and me are being sidelined. There is no chemistry between the two coalition parties."

Congress in Karnataka last week had gone into a huddle to avert a potential existential crisis to the one-year-old coalition ministry and discussed about the possible cabinet rejig to address the dissidence within.

Kumaraswamy had also held discussions with Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi.

Coalition leaders have been unable to reach a consensus on whether to go in for cabinet expansion by filling three vacant posts or reshuffle by asking a few ministers to step down and make way for the disgruntled lawmakers.