Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he told them the reshuffle was being conducted as the government was three years old and to give a chance to new people.
Bengaluru:
Meetings at the homes of unhappy legislators, talk of a change of leadership - mutterings and rumblings in the Congress in Karnataka continues after last weekend's cabinet reshuffle that left several leaders unhappy.
Fourteen ministers were dropped in the reshuffle, others who hoped for a berth were disappointed. But the state party leadership is waiting out the dissidence, confident it has the high command on its side.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and ministers who survived the reshuffle continue to deny any danger to the unity of the party in one of the few states in which it is in power.
Power minister DK Shivakumar said, "There is no problem. All of them know it is the Congress party that has given us power... There are 123 Congress MLAs. All of them are united."
Among the criticisms made by those dropped was the way it was done. Veteran actor Ambareesh, who was dropped as housing minister, said the chief minister should have spoken to him and asked him to step down.
The chief minister was defensive about the manner in which the reshuffle was done. While admitting he did not speak to any of the ministers individually, he said he had called a council of ministers, during which he informed them about the reshuffle.
He said he told them the reshuffle was being conducted for no reason other than "three years being over and to give a chance to new people".
"(I told them) All of you have done good work as ministers, the government has got a good name because of that," he added.
But the former ministers are skeptical. Qamar ul Islam from north Karnataka is still outraged at being shown the door.
"The Chief Minister does not want Muslims," he said. "In North Karnataka, there are 96 MLA seats, 12 MP seats. And there is no representation. Does he think 58% of Muslim vote is use and throw?"
The reshuffle, he said, has weakened the Congress and "many are saying it is time to change the leadership".
Fourteen ministers were dropped in the reshuffle, others who hoped for a berth were disappointed. But the state party leadership is waiting out the dissidence, confident it has the high command on its side.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and ministers who survived the reshuffle continue to deny any danger to the unity of the party in one of the few states in which it is in power.
Power minister DK Shivakumar said, "There is no problem. All of them know it is the Congress party that has given us power... There are 123 Congress MLAs. All of them are united."
Among the criticisms made by those dropped was the way it was done. Veteran actor Ambareesh, who was dropped as housing minister, said the chief minister should have spoken to him and asked him to step down.
The chief minister was defensive about the manner in which the reshuffle was done. While admitting he did not speak to any of the ministers individually, he said he had called a council of ministers, during which he informed them about the reshuffle.
He said he told them the reshuffle was being conducted for no reason other than "three years being over and to give a chance to new people".
"(I told them) All of you have done good work as ministers, the government has got a good name because of that," he added.
But the former ministers are skeptical. Qamar ul Islam from north Karnataka is still outraged at being shown the door.
"The Chief Minister does not want Muslims," he said. "In North Karnataka, there are 96 MLA seats, 12 MP seats. And there is no representation. Does he think 58% of Muslim vote is use and throw?"
The reshuffle, he said, has weakened the Congress and "many are saying it is time to change the leadership".
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