Bangalore, July 17: The ruling BJP in Karnataka today suffered an embarrassment after party MLA Haladi Srinivasa Shetty resigned from the Assembly over denial of ministerial berth in the Jagadish Shettar Cabinet.
The MLA from the coastal town of Kundapura in Udupi district met Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah at the Vidhan Soudha, the state secretariat, and tendered his resignation. "The Speaker has accepted my resignation", Shetty told reporters.
His name was doing the rounds for Cabinet berth, even an hour before the 34-member Shettar Ministry, including the Chief Minister, was sworn-in on July 12.
But in a surprise, Kota Srinivasa Poojari, hailing from the coastal region and a member of the Legislative Council, was inducted into the Ministry.
Shetty had not lobbied for the ministerial berth and was pressurised by MLAs from the region to take up the position.
He was upset over way the entire episode was handled -- letting it known that he would be made a Minister and then being dropped from the list.
He had said he was hurt and felt insulted, adding, he would resign as MLA as per the appeal of the people of his constituency who had also organised a local bandh last week in protest against his non-inclusion.
Law Minister S Suresh Kumar was deputed as an emissary of the Chief Minister to pacify him but did not succeed in his mission as Shetty stuck to his decision.
"I did not resign in haste", Shetty said. "Even in future I will not take any hasty decision", he added.
He had maintained that he would not leave the BJP.
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