BENGALURU:
Karnataka chief minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday said differences with senior Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy had been resolved, a day after the minister offered to resign over the allocation of portfolios in the new state cabinet.
Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar said, "Ramalinga Reddy is my friend. All problems have been sorted out. Don’t make up stories. All those stories have become stale. The resignation issue is settled."
He also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's greetings and said, "PM Narendra Modi wished me. I would like to thank him. I should meet him as a matter of courtesy. We don’t want politics for the sake of politics. Let us all work together to do politics that benefits the people of the state."
The chief minister's remarks came after he held a meeting with Congress MLA Ramalinga Reddy late on Friday night at a private hotel in Bengaluru's Jayanagar area, according to sources close to the minister.
Before meeting Reddy, Shivakumar and his wife, Usha Shivakumar, had dinner at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence in Bengaluru.
Reddy had announced his resignation on Friday, just hours after the portfolio allocation for the newly formed cabinet.
The senior Congress leader said he had been promised the Bengaluru Development portfolio but was instead assigned the Major and Medium Irrigation department.
"I am resigning from my post because I cannot work against my conscience," Reddy said at a press conference.
"How long can I tolerate this humiliation, and what other options did I have? Twice they called me and promised to give me that (Bengaluru Development) portfolio, but in the end it went to someone else.
“That is why I feel hurt. Therefore, I am resigning today," Reddy told reporters, while asserting that he would continue in the Congress and remain an MLA.
The episode marked the first significant challenge for the Shivakumar-led government, which assumed office on Wednesday.
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