Karnataka: Week After Mayawati's Tirade Against Congress, Sole BSP Minister N Mahesh Resigns From HD Kumaraswamy's Cabinet
Chief Minister Kumaraswamy, while speaking to reporters after Mahesh's resignation, said he would attempt to bring him back into the Cabinet.
Bengaluru, October 11: A week after BSP supremo Mayawati's unprecedented tirade against the Congress, her party's sole Minister in the Karnataka government, N Mahesh, submitted his resignation from the Cabinet. The decision has come as a shocker for Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who is heading the JD(S)-Congress coalition government in the state.
Kumaraswamy, while speaking to reporters after Mahesh's resignation, said he would attempt to bring him back into the Cabinet. "That is their internal decision by their party. I don't know why he has taken that kind of decision. But I am in contact with them, I will sort it out," the Karnataka CM said. Mayawati Says No Alliance With Congress, Blames Digvijaya Singh For Sabotaging Pact.
Mahesh, however, claimed that he was not under pressure from the BSP to resign from the Cabinet. "It is my personal decision. I want to concentrate on my constituency. I will continue as an MLA and support Kumaraswamy and the JD(S)," said Mahesh, who held the Primary Education portfolio.
Mahesh's exit from the Cabinet has come as a shocker for analysts as he was expected to be the BSP's trump card in Karnataka to penetrate into the 20 per cent scheduled caste population in the state. Notably, he became the first BSP legislator to be elected in Karnataka after a gap of 25 years.
In the past week, Mayawati launched a sharp attack on the Congress, accusing the party of attempting to usurp the BSP cadres under the garb of a pre-poll pact in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. "We will contest the elections alone. There will be no alliance in these two states," she said. However, she left a cue for course correction ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, adding that she considers the intentions of Rahul and Sonia Gandhi "honest".
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 11, 2018 10:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).