Bengaluru, 5 June

Senior Congress leaders on Friday sought to downplay Karnataka Minister Ramalinga Reddy's resignation over portfolio allocation, expressing confidence that the party leadership would engage with him and resolve the issue.

Hours after Reddy announced his resignation, alleging that assurances regarding the Bengaluru Development portfolio had not been honoured, Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge and senior Congress MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao separately said the veteran leader's concerns would be addressed through discussions.

"Reddy is a senior and respected leader of the Congress. Whatever dissatisfaction he may have, the party leadership will sit with him and resolve it. There is no issue in that," Kharge told reporters.

Reddy, a senior Congress leader and eight-time MLA from Bengaluru, resigned after Chief Minister DK Shivakumar allocated portfolios to his 13-member Council of Ministers on Thursday night. He was assigned the Major and Medium Irrigation Department, while the Bengaluru Development portfolio went to Byatarayanapura MLA Krishna Byre Gowda.

Asked about reports that Reddy had already submitted his resignation, Kharge said, "Whatever the matter may be, our party leadership will take a decision and speak to him. He is a very important person for the Congress."

The home minister, who is the son of AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge, underlined Reddy's importance to both the party and the state.

"He is very important for the party. He is very important for the state. He has won elections eight times. We need his experience," he said when asked whether the party would attempt to persuade Reddy to reconsider his decision.

Congress state president BK Hariprasad said he will speak to him and resolve the issue.

"Such things keep happening in politics. There is no problem. But he will talk to us; he is not going to do anything against the Congress party," he said.

Former minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, who served in the Siddaramaiah government, said he was not fully aware of the developments but expressed confidence that the issue would be settled by the party leadership.

"The chief minister will probably speak with him. After all, Reddy is a senior minister, and it is necessary to talk to him. I am confident that they will discuss the matter and resolve it," the Gandhinagar MLA said.

Referring to the long association between Shivakumar and Reddy, he said, "The CM and Reddy share a very close relationship and friendship. They have been in politics together for a long time. In fact, all of them became MLAs together in 1989."

"Whatever the issue may be and however it needs to be resolved, I believe the chief minister will certainly settle it," Rao added.

Asked whether the issue could affect the party with municipal elections approaching, Rao said discussions were the way forward.

"Whenever a problem arises, people sit together and discuss it. They discuss it and resolve it. If a situation like this has arisen, I believe our leaders certainly have the ability to resolve it," he said.