BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday issued a stern warning to disgruntled Congress MLAs threatening to resign after being left out of the recent Cabinet expansion, saying the party was paramount and that any resignations would be accepted "within a few minutes".
The CM, urging the disgruntled legislators to be patient and wait for their opportunity, said posts in state-run boards and corporations will be filled up soon.
"I have said whatever I have to... resignations keep happening in politics. No one can stop those resigning. If they want the party and their future, the party is important. If there is party there is everything else," Shivakumar said in response to a question about MLAs threatening to resign.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "I too could have resigned as I was not made minister during the CM tenures of Dharam Singh and Siddaramaiah. Didn't both Parameshwara (Deputy CM) and I remain patient? When Veerendra Patil was CM, Bangarappa, Kharge (AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge) and Dharam Singh were not made Ministers. Didn't Bangarappa and Singh become CMs later? One needs to have patience."
Asserting that the party is more important, the CM said, "If anyone gives resignation, within a few minutes I'm going to accept."