Bagalkot (Karnataka) [India], August 10 : Badami MLA Basavaraj Shivannanavar emphasised that he will resign from the Forest Development Corporation if he is not inducted into the state cabinet.
"I met the Chief Minister and told him I will resign from the Forest Development Corporation. He asked me to hold on and said, 'We are considering something. It will work out, please wait'," Shivannanavar said.
Shivannanavar further noted that former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah strongly insisted on his name to ensure proper regional representation for North Karnataka before the party high command.
"I saw the news that D K Shivakumar and former CM Siddaramaiah met the high command in Delhi. I have not called anyone. It is true that Siddaramaiah insisted on my name. He insisted with the intention that North Karnataka should get representation. He also conveyed this to the high command," he said.
Emphasising that he does not require a corporation post, he said, "I have no intention of accepting the chairmanship of any other corporation or board. I have already worked in a corporation. I don't need a corporation post."
Reiterating his demand for a ministerial post, the legislator made it clear that if someone else gets the opportunity, he will tender his resignation from the corporation.
"If they give me a ministerial post, fine. If not, I will continue to work as an MLA in my constituency. Otherwise, I will resign from the corporation so that someone else gets the opportunity. I don't want to say what 'force' denied me. I will share all the details later," he said.
Calling himself a "disciplined soldier of the Congress party," Shivannanavar noted that he is heading to Bengaluru and that final decisions regarding ministerial berths and recommendations rest entirely with the high command.
"Whatever is to be done, the high command has to do it. I am a disciplined soldier of the Congress party. I have also told our supporters and leaders not to insist on a ministerial post for me. I will definitely resign from the corporation and board," Shivannanavar added.
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.