After taking the oath of office at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Cabinet Minister Mallikarjuna Kharge and Minister of State K H Muniyappa drove straight to Karnataka Bhavan where they were accorded a grand reception by hundreds of jubilant Congress workers.

Felicitation

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president R V Deshpande, working president D K Shiva Kumar and Union Minister M Veerappa Moily joined the party workers and felicitated the new ministers.

Addressing the gathering, Mallikarjuna Kharge said he would work for bringing more developmental projects to the State.

Better relations with the State government would help institute more welfare programmes, he said and added he expected the Yeddyurappa government to reciprocate to his call.

Mallikarjuna Kharge was the star of the day, as the Congress activists who had been camping in the city to see him as Union Cabinet Minister, put up cutouts and banners praising their leader.

Kharge’s wife Radhabai flew down from Bangalore along with son Radhakrishna and daughter-in-law Jayashree to witness the swearing-in ceremony.

Meanwhile, it was time for merriment at Muniyappa’s residence on Tyagaraj Marg which was decorated with flowers, lights and balloons.

Hundreds of party workers, who had come from Kolar district, pitched tents and were busy discussing the possible portfolio he would be allotted. To please the activists, Muniyappa served them sumptuous meals.

His wife Nagrathnamma, who flew down from Kolar to witness her husband taking the oath of office for the second consecutive time, was busy supervising the arrangements for the celebration.

Though she was a little sad that her husband did not get a Cabinet berth, she nevertheless thanked All India Congress Committee President Sonia Gandhi for retaining him in the new dispensation.