I'm not footwear to be used and thrown: Ambareesh

Bengaluru, Jun 22: “Am I footwear to be worn whenever wanted and leave it when not wanted? Is the chief minister a Hitler? He should have maintained some dignity.”

This is how former housing minister M?H?Ambareesh reacted on Tuesday to the manner in which he was shunted out of the state cabinet.

Addressing a press conference at his residence here, Ambareesh did not hide his anger against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. While remaining firm on not withdrawing his resignation as MLA, Ambareesh said that if the chief minister had called him and sought his resignation, he would have happily paved way for others. But the chief minister did not show that kind of courtesy, he said.

“I am a popular personality. Each household in every village knows me. I am known to the entire world. I am not a slipper to be thrown out whenever not required.

Siddaramaiah did not even have the dignity to call me,” he said to a query.

On why he has resigned as MLA and was letting down his constituents, he said when the chief minister has considered him not competent enough to be a minister, it is better not to continue as MLA too. Asked why he has not personally submitted his resignation as per the rules, he hit back saying he knows the rules and would do accordingly if required.

Indirectly stating that Siddaramaiah had benefited because of his clout in Mysore and Mandya, Ambareesh said when he resigned as union minister, he had promised Congress president Sonia Gandhi that he would help Siddaramaiah get elected in the Assembly by-elections from Cha¬mu¬nd¬e¬shwari in 2007.

“I kept my promise. I campaigned extensively in villages where the Congress had no presence. I used even my caste tag Gowda to lure voters to help Siddaramaiah win. Now he must have forgotten all these,” he recalled. On the reports that Siddaramaiah has ordered probe into the decisions he had taken as the housing minister, Ambareesh said: “Let them do so. I have nothing to hide. No case has been filed against me. Let anybody access records under the RTI.” Meanwhile, Bangalore Development Minister met Ambareesh later in the day and tried to convince the latter.

Meanwhile, the supporters of Ambareesh blocked Mysuru-Bengaluru National Highway for 30 minutes near Nidaghatta in Maddur taluk of Mandya district. They burnt an effigy of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and raised slogans against him.