Vijayapura (Karnataka) [India], August 6 : Congress MLA Yashavantharaya Gouda Patil on Thursday announced that he has decided to withdraw his resignation after appeals from party leaders and people from his constituency following the Karnataka Cabinet expansion.
Speaking to ANI, Patil said the decision came after senior Congress leaders and his supporters urged him to reconsider.
"After the Cabinet expansion list was finalised, a large number of people from my constituency gathered yesterday with one request--that I withdraw my resignation. Even on the day I submitted my resignation, senior party leaders came to my residence and spent nearly two hours asking me to reconsider," he said.
Patil said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President DK Shivakumar and other senior leaders also requested him to withdraw his resignation.
"Later, the Chief Minister, the state president and several senior leaders also urged me to rethink my decision. After listening to all of them, I have decided to withdraw my resignation," the Congress MLA said.
Earlier, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar downplayed the tensions within the Congress camp after two MLAs offered their resignations for not getting a cabinet berth.
19 Congress MLAs took the oath as ministers on Monday. However, senior Congress leader Yashvantharayagouda V Patil resigned as an MLA and Belur Gopalakrishna also offered to resign after being left out of the State cabinet expansion.
Speaking to reporters, DK Shivakumar maintained that resignations were part of politics. Slamming the two Congress leaders, he said that he and G Parameshwara remained patient for a cabinet berth.
The Chief Minister said, "Resignations are a part of politics. No one can stop those who want to resign. If they want the party and a political future, they should stay. If there is a party, everything else follows. When I was denied a ministerial berth during the tenures of Dharam Singh and Siddaramaiah, I could have resigned too. Didn't G Parameshwara and I remain patient? I have also instructed all ministers to immediately visit their respective areas and assess the drought relief situation."