Rahul turns down Cong MLA MB Patil's demand for K'taka Dy CM post
New Delhi, June 10 (IBNS): Congress President Rahul Gandhi has turned down former minister and dissident MLA MB Patil's demand for the post of Karnataka deputy Chief Minister in a meeting on Saturday, media reports said.
Patil was given assurance that he would receive a ministerial berth in the next cabinet expansion when it happens, The Times of India reported quoting sources.
There are reportedly six berths vacant to be filled by the Congress party.
The meeting between several dissatisfied Karnataka Congress MLAs and party president Rahul Gandhi has failed to end the disagreement over the cabinet expansion within the outfit on Saturday, media reports said.
The meeting took place after several of the party MLAs were dissatisfied over the cabinet expansion of the Karnataka government, which is now run jointly by the Congress and former Prime Minister Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (Secular).
The cabinet expansion took place on June 6.
Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president Dinesh Gundu Rao and minister Krishna Byre Gowda were reportedly present in the meeting.
The decision will probably be taken after discussions with the disgruntled Congress MLAs.
Meanwhile, opposition leader BS Yeddyurappa, who is short by a few numbers to prove majority in the House, claimed that several Congress and JD(S) MLAs are willing to join BJP, media reports said.
The Karnataka coalition government was formed by the Congress and the JD(S) after a week-long drama following a fractured mandate meted out by people of the southern state.
Though the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had formed a minority government in the state under the leadership of BS Yeddyurappa, the latter had to resign owing to the saffron party's failure to prove majority in the Vidhan Soudha.
The Congress-JD(S) together have the support of 118 MLAs.
A short spell of drama also succeeded the swearing of JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister over the ministry of finance but it was later resolved after the intervention of Rahul Gandhi.
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