Upset over minister’s meddling, KUWSDB chief offers to quit

Friction-ridden Congress on Monday faced one more embarrassment when the party’s working president Vinay Kulkarni offered to resign saying he will not stay in places where there is no respect.

“Why should I stay where there’s no respect for me?” Kulkarni said in connection with the affairs of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB) of which he is the chairperson.

Kulkarni has a feud with Urban Development Minister B S Suresha (Byrathi) under whose department the KUWSDB functions. Kulkarni has accused Suresha of interfering with the Board’s functioning.

“There are various instances of mismanagement in my Board that I’m unable to tolerate,” Kulkarni said.

Kulkarni even claimed that corruption at KUWSDB is so high that it could overshadow the Maharshi Valmiki ST Development Corporation embezzlement.

“It’s been more than two months since I wrote a letter to the government about the happenings. There are 10-15 companies that need to be investigated. But it shouldn’t be that only those companies the minister doesn’t like
get blacklisted. Let there be an inquiry,” Kulkarni said, without naming Suresha.

Earlier, Kulkarni slammed the functioning of ministers at the party’s office-bearers meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar.

“Ministers are not responding to leaders or party workers. This is where we are failing as an organisation. The plight of MLAs is concerning,” Kulkarni is learnt to have said, urging Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to resolve issues.

Meanwhile, former MP V S Ugrappa expressed concerns over the possibility of the Congress government losing its popularity.

“We’ve faced a setback in the Lok Sabha polls. What does it mean that we’ve lost in Assembly segments in just a year’s time, especially those represented by ministers?” he asked, sources said.