Senior Cong leader resigns as MLA, to quit party soon

BENGALURU, Oct 17:  Miffed at being dropped from the ministry, senior state Congress leader V Srinivas Prasad today resigned as Member of the Legislative Assembly.
He submitted his handwritten resignation letter to the Assembly Speaker K B Koliwad at Vidana Soudha, the state secretariat here.
After receiving the resignation letter, the Speaker as per procedures asked Prasad about the reason for his resignation and whether he was quitting under any kind of pressure and was aware of its consequences.
Koliwad said he has only received the resignation but has not yet accepted it and would take a decision after examining it.
Prasad later talked to reporters and attacked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for “betraying” him.
Reminding that he had helped Siddaramaiah politically  in the past, Prasad said, “Though I was along with him, I was not even given a hint about being dropped from the ministry”.
“This betrayal has severely pained me. The Chief Minister, who was along with me, who took help from me, who knew every thing about me, did this and it has pained me. So I have resigned. I will now decide on my next course of action very carefully,” he said.
Prasad, who represented Nanjangud constituency, was serving as the Revenue Minister until he was dropped from the ministry along with 13 other ministers, when Siddaramaiah did a major ‘surgery’ to his cabinet in June.
He said that he will also be resigning from the primary membership of the Congress party soon.
To a question about Prasad’s purported statement that his aim was to defeat Siddaramaiah in the next elections, the Chief Minister said “…Many people have made similar statements. Let’s see. It is the people who will decide.” (PTI)