Senior Congress leader and MLC B.K. Hariprasad, who has been sulking over the denial of a ministerial berth in the Siddaramaiah government, on Thursday called on Home Minister G. Parameshwara and discussed political developments in the party.
On Wednesday, Mr. Hariprasad met KPCC president and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Food and Civil Supplies Minister K.H. Muniyappa and reportedly expressed his anguish over the denial of a ministerial post.
The four-time Rajya Sabha member, former Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, and general secretary of the party for more than a decade, Mr. Hariprasad has been denied the Cabinet berth despite strong recommendations for his induction in the Ministry from former AICC presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, sources said.
After his remarks against Mr. Siddaramaiah that he also knew “how to bring down a Chief Minister”, Mr. Hariprasad apparently threatened to resign from the membership of the Council. AICC general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal is said to have mollified Mr. Hariprasad. Apparently, the MLC has been now asking Mr. Shivakumar and Mr. Venugopal the reasons for keeping him out of the Cabinet.
Knowing well that he was not in the camp of Mr. Siddaramaiah, Mr. Hariprasad has reportedly asked Mr. Shivakumar why he had not been included in his (Mr. Shivakumar’s) “quota” of Ministers, sources said.
Sources indicated that Dr. Parameshwara, Mr. Shivakumar and others pacified Mr. Hariprasad to wait till the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to ensure smooth reshuffle of the Cabinet.
Induction of N.S. Bosaraju in the Cabinet, who was not a member of the Upper House of the State legislature when he was sworn in, has not gone well with several Congress MLCs.
