None from BJP have contacted me says disgruntled Karnataka Cong MLA Patil
My fight is within the Congress and none from the BJP have approached me, disgruntled Karnataka Congress MLA, M B Patil said. Patil has been leading a rebellion in Karnataka after failing to get a berth in the JD(S)-Congress government.
He held a meeting with Congress president Rahul Gandhi, but the meeting remained inconclusive with Patil getting no assurance. Following the meeting, he said that he had no plans of quitting the Congress and added that his fight was within the party.
After the meeting, Patil said the next plan of action will be decided after discussions with the 15-20 MLAs, who are unhappy with the cabinet expansion. He, however, asserted that he has no plans to quit the Congress.
Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) working president Dinesh Gundu Rao and new cabinet minister Krishna Byre Gowda were present in the meeting.
"We
are
trying
to
resolve
the
differences.
The
process
is
on
at
the
moment.
No
decision
has
been
taken
yet,"
Gowda
told
PTI
after
the
meeting.
The
consultations
are
still
going
on
with
state
leaders,
he
added.
Patil,
who
campaigned
for
a
minority
status
for
Lingayats,
is
a
prominent
state
Congress
leader.
Under
his
leadership,
a
section
of
dissatisfied
legislators
have
held
several
meetings
last
week.
After meeting the Congress President, Patil said: "I shared my views with Rahul Gandhi and explained the state's situation. I have not demanded anything."
He
said,
"I
am
not
alone,
many
friends
are
together
with
me.
I
will
share
with
them
what
happened
in
the
meeting
and
then
decide
next
plan
of
action."
Patil,
a
former
irrigation
minister
and
an
MLA
from
Vijayapura
district,
said
he
has
no
plans
to
quit
the
party.
"The
BJP
has
not
approached
me
nor
I
have
got
in
touch
with
them.
My
fight
is
within
the
Congress,"
he
said.
He also mentioned that he is not in the race for the KPCC president's post and did not make that demand in the meeting. The JD(S)-Congress cabinet was expanded on June 6 with the induction of 25 new ministers, after intense bargaining for ministerial berths.
The much-awaited exercise has caused heartburn among several lawmakers in the coalition while supporters of some of the ministerial aspirants staged protests.
Besides MB Patil and Dinesh Gundu Rao, the Congress has dropped several key members of the previous Siddaramaiah ministry, including Ramalinga Reddy, R Roshan Baig, HK Patil, Tanvir Sait, Shamanur Sivashankarappaand and Satish Jarkhiholi from the coalition government.