Guttedar, who will be the third Congress MLA to quit the Assembly to facilitate the ruling BJP.
Rumours were also rife that three more Congress legislators would also quit their seats in days to come in response to the BJP ‘invitation’ to quit the Assembly in order to reduce the numbers in the House, making it easier for the BJP to stay in majority.
Guttedar blamed senior leaders Mallikarjuna Kharge and Dharam Singh, who are also from his home district Gulbarga, for creating a “suffocating atmosphere” for him in the
party. “I can no longer continue in the party.
They have been creating hurdles for me for the last two and a half years. I have decided to quit”, Guttedar told Deccan Herald.
Guttedar said he had not been consulted during the process of making nominations to party posts and issuing party tickets during elections.
He said he will meet Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah and also voters of his constituency before handing over his resignation letter to Speaker K G Bopaiah. While Guttedar said he would not join any party after resigning from his seat, the timing of his decision to quit from the Assembly comes at a time when BJP’s “Operation Lotus” is in full swing.
Denies lobbying
Speculation was also rife in political circles that he was bargaining to become Excise Minister. However, Guttedar, however denied he was lobbying for a ministership.
In what could be a further set back for the Congress in Gulbarga, considered its stronghold, another party legislator, Baburao Chinchansur (Gurmitkal) is said to have been approached by the BJP to quit the Assembly.
May also jump
BJP sources said Rajashekar Basavaraj Patil, MLA from Humnabad in Bidar district, may also jump into the saffron net soon.
His father Basavaraj Patil, who is an MLC and father in-law Gurupadappa Nagamarapalli who is Bidar DCC Bank president are already in the BJP. Another name doing the rounds as a ‘Lotus’ catch is that of Congress legislator and former minister Prakash Hukkeri (Chikkodi) would also quit his Assembly membership.
