As the anger of dropped ministers and aspirants for a berth in the Cabinet boiled over in Congress-ruled Karnataka, actor-turned politician Ambareesh today resigned as MLA and several "like minded" legislators have threatened to quit.
As Chief Minister Sidddaramaiah faced discontent a day after the major reshuffle in which 14 ministers were axed and 13 inducted, at least eight MLAs ae to meet here tomorrow to take a call on their future course of action while several others have decided to stay away from party activities. Some others plan to petition the party high command.
Ambareesh sent a one-line resignation letter addressed to the Assembly Speaker through his personal assistant.
Deputy Speaker Shivashankara Reddy, who is officiatingas the Speaker's post is lying vacant with Kagodu Thimmappa being appointed as the Cabinet Minister, has not accepted the letter as the Member himself did not submit it. "Ambareesh has sent a letter of resignation through some other person; any such letter will be considered valid only ifthe member himself submits it. I have sent it back," Shivashankar Reddy told PTI.
The letter stated he is resigning as MLAof Mandya constituency, without assigning any reason. Ambareesh was the Housing Minister before he wasdropped. Popularly known as "rebel star", Ambareesh himself hasnot made any public comment so far.
His wife Sumalatha, who was also a movie star, in atweet had yesterday said "Being non-corrupt , straight forward & honest might not win today's battle...But time will prove the ultimate winner in any war."
S T Somashekar, who had yesterday claimed that eight legislators were contemplating resigning their Assembly membership in protest, met Ambareesh today and later said he has requested him not to quit in haste.
Somashekar said, "I told him (Ambareesh) don't take decision in haste and press for acceptance of the resignation, tomorrow by 3 or 4 pm we all MLA's will meet at one place and decide.
"If at all, situation arises wherein you (Ambareesh) may press for acceptance of your resignation, we will also resign along with you. Till then don't take any decision....; he has accepted," he added.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda seized
upon the opportunity to get Ambareesh to JD(S) fold.
Gowda, who spoke to Ambareesh, also sent his MLC T A Saravana for ameeting.
"Along with requesting him not to resign we have also requested him to consider joining JD(S), he said he will thinkabout it," Saravana told reporters after the meeting. Ambareesh had won first time as Member of Parliamentin 1998 from Mandya on Janata Dal ticket.
His supporters in Mandya continued their protest for the second consecutive day today. They had blocked the Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway yesterday.
Some film producers also stopped film shooting expressing solidarity with Ambareesh.
Resentment is brewing within Congress after thereshuffle carried out by Siddaramaiah, with several dropped Ministers and cabinet aspirants openly expressing theirunhappiness against the party leadership.
The ministers who faced the axe are: Qamarul Islam, Shamanoor Shivashankarappa, V Srinivasa Prasad, M H Ambareesh, Vinay Kumar Sorake, Satish Jarkiholi, Baburao Chinchansoor, Shivaraj Sangappa Tangadagi, S R Patil, Manohar Tahasildhar, K Abayachandra Jain, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Kimmane Ratnakar and P T Parameshwar Naik.
Senior leaders like Srinivasa Prasad, Mallikayya Guttedar and Qamarul Islam are among others who have made no secret of their displeasure over being dropped or not being considered. While Prasad and Guttedar have decided to stay away from party activities, Islam, who met his supporters in Kalburgi today, has decided to meet Congress chief Sonia Gandhi soon. Prasad, a veteran Congress man, today openly hit out at Siddaramaiah and Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge for dropping him from the ministry.
His supporters had called for a bandh in Chamarajanagar and Nanjangud.
Similar protests by supporters of various aspirants Congress MLA's and dropped Ministers have been reported from different parts of the state.
