Haveri (Karnataka) [India], August 7 : Congress MLA Basavaraj Shivannavar, who was left out of the recent Karnataka cabinet expansion, said the final decision on ministerial appointments came from the party High Command despite former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah backing his candidature.
Speaking to ANI on Thursday, Shivannavar said Siddaramaiah had advocated for representation from North Karnataka and had proposed his name for a ministerial berth.
"Former CM Siddaramaiah is my godfather. He had said that someone from North Karnataka should be given an opportunity, and that it should be Shivannavar. That remained the case until the very end. But in the final moments, neither Siddaramaiah nor the Chief Minister had any information. The name came from the High Command," Shivannavar said.
Expressing confidence in the party leadership, he said he hoped a favourable decision would be taken in the future. Shivannavar also said there was a strong sentiment that a woman should be included in the cabinet.
He said he would continue to work as an MLA and made it clear that he would not accept any alternative position if offered.
"I will continue to work as an MLA. But if I am offered any other post, I will not accept it," he said.
Shivannavar further revealed that he had even carried a resignation letter, expressing his willingness to relinquish the post he already held, but Siddaramaiah advised him against doing so.
"He told me, 'No, wait. Work in the constituency. We will do whatever good needs to be done,'" Shivannavar said.
Without naming anyone, the Congress MLA also hinted that complaints had been made against him but said he had not complained against anyone himself.
"I have not complained against anyone. But when the time comes, I will reveal who complained against me," he said.
A protest has also begun from Haveri Murugharajendra Mutt, with hundreds of supporters raising slogans in support of CM Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar and demanding that a ministerial berth be given to Shivannavar.
Holding portraits of Basavaraj Shivannavar, hundreds of supporters took out a protest march from Murugharajendra Mutt to Mailar Mahadevappa Circle, urging that he be made a minister.
The protesters alleged that Basavaraj Shivannavar, a senior MLA from the Kuruba community in North Karnataka, has been treated unfairly.
They demanded that the injustice be corrected and a ministerial position be given to him.
Earlier on Monday, Congress high command approved the expansion of the DK Shivakumar-led Karnataka Cabinet, clearing the names of 20 ministers, including one woman, Gayathri Shanthegowda.
The expanded ministry includes 12 new faces, while eight incumbent ministers have been retained.
The oath-taking ceremony took place at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru after Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot approved the Cabinet expansion. The state Cabinet increased the size of the ministry to the full limit of 34, including the chief minister.
However, several senior Congress leaders, including HK Patil, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Shivanand Patil, RB Thimmapur, RV Deshpande, K Venkatesh, Krishnappa, Tanveer Sait, Appaji Nadagouda and HC Mahadevappa, were left out of the expanded ministry.
Many of these leaders have previously served as ministers in Congress governments and were considered strong contenders for Cabinet berths. Their exclusion has sparked discussions within the party over the balance between experience, regional representation and community considerations in the allocation of ministerial positions.
The expansion of the Karnataka Cabinet has triggered discontent among several senior Congress leaders who were left out of the ministry, with some questioning the selection process and others expressing disappointment over their exclusion.