No reason, only disappointment: Ex-Minister after Karnataka cabinet snub

The Cabinet reshuffle sparked discontent within the Karnataka Congress, with former state minister Dinesh Gundu Rao questioning his exclusion and seeking an explanation. The expansion also saw last-minute changes, Gayathri Shanthegowda's induction deferred despite approval, protests by disappointed aspirants, and one ministerial berth left vacant.

In Short

• Nineteen ministers took oath though the high command had cleared twenty
• Gayathri Shanthegowda's swearing-in was postponed, leaving the ministry without any woman
• An approved list was revised, with Mankala Vaidya replaced by Mallikarjun

Former Karnataka minister and senior Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao on Monday voiced disappointment after being left out of the first expansion of Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's Cabinet, saying he had not been told why he was excluded despite his long years of service to the party and the state. In a statement issued after the expansion, the six-time MLA said he had stayed committed to the Congress and to the people of Karnataka throughout his political career.

His reaction came as the much-awaited Cabinet expansion was marked by confusion over the final list of inductees, the last-minute postponement of MLC Gayathri Shanthegowda's swearing-in and unhappiness among Congress leaders who did not get ministerial berths.

Gundu Rao, who served as a minister in the previous Siddaramaiah government, was among several senior Congress leaders left out of the expanded Cabinet.

Nineteen legislators took oath as ministers at Lok Bhavan even though the Congress high command had approved 20 names, with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administering the oath of office and secrecy.

Taking to X, Gundu Rao said his repeated electoral victories showed the trust that people had placed in him and added that he remained grateful for the chance to have served both as a legislator and as a minister.

He also pointed to his long association with the Congress organisation, saying he had worked in the Youth Congress, the District Congress, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee and the All India Congress Committee, while remaining loyal to the party and its ideology.

"It is disappointing that after so many years of service to the State and the party, I have not been considered to serve the government in this Cabinet. I am disappointed by decisions taken without being given any reason for my exclusion," he wrote on X.

Despite being left out, Gundu Rao said he would continue to work for the welfare of the people and the development of Karnataka.

Talking to ANI, Dinesh Gundu Rao said he was still searching for an answer as to why he had been dropped from the Cabinet without being given any reason, despite remaining loyal to the party.

"The only thing is that they should have told me the reason. I don't know why I have been dropped. Was I a poor performer as a minister? Do I have any corruption charges? Was I not working well for the party?" he asked.

Gundu Rao also said he was hurt by the lack of communication before he was dropped from the ministry.

"Even in the previous government, when Siddaramaiah was Chief Minister, I voluntarily told him for three years that he should make somebody else a minister because I wanted to work for the party. Becoming a minister is not the end for me. But the disappointment is that they have not given me a proper reason for dropping me. I hope that, at least in the future, they will tell me why I was dropped. A proper reason should be given. That is the only thing I expect," he told ANI.

Several senior leaders from the previous Siddaramaiah government were also kept out of the new Cabinet on Monday, including HC Mahadevappa, HK Patil, K Venkatesh, MC Sudhakar and Laxmi Hebbalkar.

Those inducted into the Cabinet were PM Narendraswamy, Shivaraj Tangadagi, Rudrappa Lamani, KS Basavanthappa, B Nagendra, T Raghumurthy, BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rizwan Arshad, Santosh Lad, Madhu Bangarappa, Putturangashetty, SS Mallikarjun, Ajay Singh, N Chaluvaraya Swamy, KM Shivalinge Gowda, HC Balakrishna, Basvaraj Rayareddi, Vijayanand Kashappanavar and Laxman Savadi.

Earlier on Monday, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal had conveyed the Congress high command's approval of 20 names. However, Gayathri Shanthegowda, whose name was on the approved list, was not sworn in, leaving the Cabinet without a woman minister. No official reason was given, though party circles linked the delay to differences among state leaders over her induction. An earlier list was also revised, with Bhatkal MLA Mankala Vaidya replaced by former minister SS Mallikarjun without any official explanation.

The developments triggered resentment among several ruling party legislators, and supporters of some ministerial aspirants staged protests in different parts of the state.

Indi MLA Yashavantarayagouda V Patil also submitted his resignation from his legislative post after failing to get a place in the ministry. Shivakumar, who was sworn in as Chief Minister on June 3 along with 13 ministers, appealed to disappointed aspirants to remain patient, saying patience had brought him to his present position.

After Monday's expansion, one berth remains vacant in the 34-member Karnataka ministry. The Congress high command also approved GS Patil as Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, A S Ponnanna as Deputy Speaker, Saleem Ahmed as Chairman of the Legislative Council and Umashree as Deputy Chairperson.

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