Snubbed M B Patil keeps suspense over his next move

Brooding former minister M B Patil decided to keep the Congress on tenterhooks as he is slated to hold a meeting with disgruntled legislators later this week, where he will take a call on his next move.

This comes after he was reportedly snubbed by Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

“I have told Rahul Gandhi everything. I will wait for a week. On June 14 or 15, I will consult my legislator friends. I still have hope,” Patil said. “I’m a Congressman and I’ve been in the party since 1991. Injustice has been meted out to me. My self-respect has been hurt. But 99% I will stay in Congress, but anything can happen in the other 1%,” he cryptically said.

According to sources, Patil is also miffed at former chief minister Siddaramaiah. He has been internally airing the grouse that Siddaramaiah helped his old Janata Dal (Secular) friend and now Congress MLA from Basavana Bagewadi Shivanand Patil, get a ministerial berth in the H D Kumaraswamy Cabinet.

M B Patil has been claiming he has support of about 20 MLAs, which includes Satish Jarkiholi, ‘MTB’ Nagaraju and others. This claim has been questioned by other Congress MLAs such as B A Basavaraja (Byrathi). Even veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge alluded to this. “I have spoken with Patil. He should really know how many are backing him,” Kharge told reporters.

KPCC president?

The Congress high command is yet to take a call on who should replace Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara as the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president. KPCC working president Dinesh Gundu Rao, AICC general secretary B K Hariprasad, former Union minister and Kolar MP K H Muniyappa among others are in the race. The names of M B Patil, H K Patil, H C Mahadevappa and former Housing minister M Krishnappa are also doing the rounds.