Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday sought to downplay the growing discontent within the Congress, saying MLAs threatening to quit were indulging
in politics and that he would accept any resignation "within a few minutes" if they chose to step down. Responding to reports of disgruntled legislators, Shivakumar said no one could stop those determined to resign but reminded party leaders that their political future depended on the Congress. Drawing from his own experience, he said he had remained patient despite being sidelined during the tenures of former chief ministers Dharam Singh and Siddaramaiah. The Chief Minister also cited senior Congress leaders such as Bangarappa, Mallikarjun Kharge and Dharam Singh, saying they too had waited their turn before eventually becoming chief ministers. "In such situations, everyone has to be patient. The party is very important. If someone resigns, I will accept it within a few minutes," he said. Shivakumar further announced a major overhaul of state Boards and Corporations, saying the tenure of all current appointees had ended. He said ministers and office-bearers had been informed about the transition more than two years ago and asked everyone to submit their resignations. He added that party workers would be accommodated first, after which he would hold individual discussions with MLAs regarding future appointments. This comes as the long-awaited cabinet expansion finally materialised on Monday but caused disgruntlement among the ruling Congress legislators, with a couple of ministerial aspirants who did not get a berth offering to resign. In fact, the MLA from Indi, Yashavantarayagouda V Patil submitted his resignation from his legislative post on Monday. Supporters of several ministerial aspirants have also staged protests in different parts of the state. Amid simmering discontent, CM Shivakumar appealed to aspirants to be patient, insisting that his patience brought him to his current position. Shivakumar was sworn-in as the CM along with 13 ministers on June 3, following Siddaramaiah's resignation as CM on May 28.
