Accept resignation or I'll quit as MLA: Vishwanath

Senior JD(S) leader A H Vishwanath, who recently resigned from the post of JD(S) state president, on Thursday said he wished to work with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy (as minister) and expressed regret that the latter did not make use of his experience.

“I had a wish to work with Kumaraswamy (as a minister). But somehow it didn’t happen. Neither Kumaraswamy nor Siddaramaiah (coordination committee chairman) made use of my experience,” he told reporters here.

Vishwanath’s statements indicated that he resigned as the state JD(S) president for not being accommodated either in the government or the co-ordination committee.

“I am firm on my decision to quit from the party president post. It is better if Kumaraswamy takes up this responsibility in the interest of the party,” he said. Vishwanath advised the chief minister to immediately allocate portfolios to the new ministers and fill up one vacant berth in the Cabinet. “Allocate portfolios to the new ministers soon. Don’t hurt the communities they represent. It’s in a way an insult,” he said.

Two independent MLAs – R Shankar and H Nagesh – were inducted in the Cabinet recently. Vishwanath threatened to quit as Hunsur MLA if the party leadership refuses to accept his resignation.