Rebel Cong MLA Nagaraj likely to reconsider resignation

Amid ongoing political turmoil in Karnataka, Congress leader DK Shivakumar visited the residence of Congress MLA and state minister MTB Nagaraj early on Saturday morning to convince him to take back his resignation.

Bengaluru (Karnataka):Rebel Congress MLA MTB Nagaraj on Saturday hinted at reconsidering his resignation after holding a meeting with party leader DK Shivakumar.

"Situation was such that we submitted our resignations, but now DK Shivakumar and others came and requested us to withdraw resignations, I will speak to K Sudhakar Rao and then see what is to be done, after all, I have spent decades in Congress," Congress MLA and state minister MTB Nagaraj said after a meeting at his residence.

It may be noted that Hoskote MLA Nagaraj and Chikballapur Congress MLA Dr K Sudhakar have resigned from the Assembly on July 10.

While Nagaraj made no clear announcement of taking back resignation, the same was affirmed by Shivakumar who announced the same while speaking to media outside Nagaraj's residence.

"We should live together and die together because we have worked for 40 years for the party; there are ups and downs in every family. We should forget everything and move forward. Happy that MTB Nagaraj (rebel MLA) has assured us that he will stay with us," Shivakumar told media persons.

Despite tendering their resignations, both Nagaraj and Sudhakar are still members of legislative assembly as their resignations have yet not been accepted by the speaker.

Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar had ruled out accepting their resignations. "Two MLAs Dr K Sudhakar and MTB Nagaraj have resigned from the assembly. I have not accepted any resignation; I cannot do it overnight like that. I have given them time on 17th. I will go through the procedure and take a decision," Kumar had said on July 10 while speaking to media persons in Bengaluru.

Meanwhile, on Friday, the Supreme Court took up the pleas of 10 dissident MLAs and directed the speaker to maintain the status quo on their resignation and disqualification till July 16.

The 13-month-old Congress-JD(S) government slumped into crisis following the resignation of 10 MLAs from the membership of the state Assembly last week.