Injustice to 32 mins? Will drop Priyank Kharge from Cabinet, says Mallikarjun Kharge
Kalaburagi: “If there is a feeling that because of Priyank Kharge’s presence in the Cabinet, injustice has been done to 32 ministers, we will remove Priyank from the Cabinet and form a new Cabinet with another set of ministers. Because if x does not get a berth, he is held responsible, and if y doesn’t get it, he will be blamed again. If anybody from Old Mysore region does not get it, he will be held responsible. I do not want to reply to these questions. Whether he (Priyank) does a good job or not, the high command will decide,” remarked Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday.
What provoked Mr Kharge was the comment made by estranged Congress MLA from Chincholi Dr Umesh Jadhav that former CM Siddaramaiah did not make his son a minister because the Kuruba leader believed in the concept of social justice. Dr Jadhav, who has tendered his resignation from the Congress, is slated to fight Mr Kharge in the coming Lok Sabha poll on the BJP ticket.
“There is no leader who has paid as much attention to the social justice concept as me. When there were three reserved seats in the district, I had given representation to different communities. Similarly I gave representation to different communities in the Cabinet. Here in Kalaburagi who should be made minister and who should not, was a decision taken by the high command and the Congress Legislature Party. They made him (Priyank) minister. I may be Leader of the Congress group in the Lok Sabha but whatever I say does not automatically happen in the party,” Mr Kharge argued.
When it was pointed out to him that these days, he was drawing flak from his own partymen due to Mr Priyank's induction into the Cabinet, Mr Kharge retorted, “there is medicine for all diseases, but none for jealousy. Secondly has Priyank entered politics now? He has been there for almost 15 years. At the time of the by-poll to Chittapur in 2009, when I expressed my opposition to the fielding of Priyank, Mr Krishna and others forced us to field him saying how could a minister’s son refuse to contest? Why did nobody raise this question then? Now it is election time and naturally during elections, all kinds of questions will be raised.”
He tried to drive home the point that the election he is set to fight is his own and his son should not be dragged into it. “Let people decide based on what I have done for my constituency and region. Moreover I'm fighting an ideological battle for the sake of saving democracy and the Constitution. Those who believe in these principles, will join hands with me,” he added.
Mr Kharge disapproved of the comments by Minister H.D. Revanna against Sumalatha, wife of Congress leader late Ambareesh. “Mr Revanna is a senior leader and he should excercise restraint while making comments.”
