Karnataka cabinet: 'Senior leaders are hurt', says DK Shivakumar

With rebellion brewing in the Karnataka Congress over allocation of cabinet berths, DK Shivakumar on Monday said that there was a need to "build confidence among party workers".

Several Karnataka Congress leaders are miffed after being denied cabinet berths in the newly sworn-in Kumaraswamy-led Congress-JD (S) government.

"It is obvious that the senior leaders were hurt. Congress party has kept all options open to fill the vacancies and it will be done soon. I have belief in party high command. We have to build confidence among party workers," Shivakumar told news agency ANI.

On Wednesday (June 6), 25 MLAs, 5 from Congress and 10 from JD(S), took oath as cabinet ministers leaving several leaders, who did not make the cut, unhappy.

MB Patil, Congress leader and former minister, had said that his "self-respect" was hurt by the development. Shivakumar and R V Deshpande are meeting with M B Patil in what can be dubbed as a move to pacify Patil. Some reports suggest that Patil has even threatened to quit the party.

Roshan Baig, Ramalinga Reddy, Dinesh Gundurao, Shamanur Shivashankarappa and Satish Jarkiholi were also left out of the Cabinet. These leaders have questioned the rationale behind the selection for the Cabinet.

In the midst of the rebellion, Congress chief in Karnataka, Dr. G Parameshwar called for a meeting on Thursday night. However the outcome of the meeting was not positive and differences remained. The Congress leadership is trying to convince the rebels, but they appear to be in no mood to listen. The Congress had even suggested that those left out fo the ministry would be appointed as chairpersons of boards and the post would be elevated to that of Cabinet rank. This too did not appear to gain any traction, sources say.