Ramalinga Reddy has withdrawn his resignation, claims Cong gen sec Surjewala

BENGALURU: Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala on Saturday claimed that senior leader Ramalinga Reddy had withdrawn his resignation from the ministerial position after discussions with the party leadership.

He attributed the episode involving Reddy's announcement on resignation to a misunderstanding and asserted that the veteran leader would continue to serve as a minister in the Congress government.

Surjewala also hit out at the BJP alleging that it was attempting to exploit the controversy.

The Congress leader charged that the opposition had hoped to gain political mileage from the ''brief turmoil'' in the newly formed state government.

"There was some misunderstanding and he will continue to work as a loyal soldier and Minister of the party," Surjewala told reporters, addressing speculation surrounding Reddy's resignation announcement.

Reddy on Friday announced his resignation after being allotted the Major and Medium Irrigation Department instead of the Bengaluru Development portfolio.

The Congress leader described Reddy as one of the party's most experienced leaders and said the entire top leadership had intervened to resolve the issue.

Calling Ramalinga Reddy an asset to the Congress, Surjewala said Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, former chief minister Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president B K Hariprasad and he himself spoke to Reddy after reports of his resignation emerged.

"He has already, I think, informed you that he has withdrawn his resignation," Surjewala said.

Taking a swipe at the BJP, the Congress leader said the opposition had "prematurely celebrated" the developments within the ruling party.

"The BJP is actually in a state of shock because they thought they had found an issue in the smooth transition of power and were hoping to gain some political capital from everything they had lost in the eyes of the people," he said.

Referring to BJP state president B Y Vijayendra and Leader of Opposition R Ashoka, Surjewala said the opposition would continue to face rejection from voters.

"Let me tell both Vijayendra and Ashoka that you will repeatedly get a clean defeat in the court of the people; to win the trust of the people, you need sincerity, commitment and service to the people, which the Congress government has implemented through its five guarantees," he said.

The Congress leader also said all ministers had assumed charge of their departments and expressed confidence that the new government under Chief Minister Shivakumar would usher in a fresh phase of development in the state.