Hurt Srinivas Prasad quits Congress, says Siddaramaiah backstabbed him
Bengaluru: Former Union Minister Srinivas Prasad parted ways with the Congress party and quit the state Assembly on Monday, accusing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of betraying him like ‘Brutus’ in the bard’s famous play, Julius Caesar.
Making no secret of the fact that his next mission was to defeat Mr Siddaramaiah in the 2018 Assembly elections, the veteran Dalit leader said, “I will prepare for my next political battle” but refused to disclose anything about his future plans. There has been speculation in recent months that he was planning to join the BJP.
Coming down heavily on the Chief Minister for ‘unceremoniously’ removing him from the state Cabinet four months ago, the former minister said, “At one point, Siddaramaiah was sinking like the Titanic in his political career and I lifted him up. But he has humiliated me at the fag end of my career.” Mr Prasad was revenue minister in the Cabinet and had represented Nanjangud in the Assembly.
Emerging from handing in his resignation to Speaker K.B. Koliwad in his chamber at the Vidhana Soudha, Mr. Prasad told reporters that his mission now was to defeat Mr Siddaramaiah in the next Assembly elections. “I will prepare for my next political battle,” he declared, but refused to disclose anything more about his future plans.
Coming down heavily on the Chief Minister for ‘unceremoniously’ removing him from the Cabinet four months ago, he said it was all the more disappointing as Mr Siddaramaiah and he were old friends.
“At one point of time, Siddaramaiah was sinking like the Titanic in his political career and I lifted him up. But he has humiliated me at the fag end of my political career. Like Brutus in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, he has stabbed me,” Mr Prasad added bitterly.
Claiming the state Congress was in the clutches of a coterie of six - All India Congress Committee General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Digvijay Singh, Mr Siddaramaiah, Congress floor leader in the Lok Sabha, Mallikarjuna Kharge, KPCC president, G. Parameshwar, Bengaluru Development Minister, K.J. George and Energy Minister, D.K. Shivakumar, the former minister said that nothing moved in the party without their say so.
“These six people provide the funds the party needs to the high command. Without them the high command cannot conduct elections in Karnataka,” he charged.
Asked about the role of Public Works Minister Dr H.C. Mahadevappa, Mr. Prasad said that he was a reflection of the Chief Minister. “I don’t see him as a separate identity,” he added.
But he thanked senior Congress leaders, Oscar Fernandes and A.K. Antony for their support. “Mr. Antony called me before I left for the Speaker’s office to give my resignation and asked me to reconsider,” he said.
