'Resign, I'll accept within minutes': DKS' blunt warning to disgruntled Cong MLAs

BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar warned dissident Congress legislators on Tuesday that their resignations would be accepted within minutes if they follow through on threats following the cabinet expansion. Shivakumar's sharp rebuke came the day after lawmakers Yashavantarayagouda V Patil and Belur Gopalakrishna tendered their resignations after being omitted from the newly formed ministry.

The chief minister urged the aggrieved MLAs to exercise patience, asserting that the Congress party's importance superseded individual ambitions. "Resignations happen in politics," Shivakumar said, recounting how he, too, remained patient during past chief ministerships when he was not given a ministerial position. He also cited examples of senior Congress leaders who initially did not receive ministerial roles but went on to achieve higher positions, emphasizing the need for patience.

The warning followed signs of discontent among Congress legislators after Monday's cabinet expansion, which filled the ministry to its full complement of 34 members. The expanded team includes 12 new members and eight retained incumbents, with Gayathri Shanthegowda being the sole female addition. The expansion ruffled feathers among several aspirants who were left out, leading Patil and Gopalakrishna to resign and organize protests in Bengaluru.

Shivakumar tried to quell the fallout by promising to fill positions in state-run boards and corporations soon, signaling alternative avenues for those denied ministerial posts.