Bengaluru:Senior Congress leader and MLC CM Ibrahim announced his resignation from the Congress party on Saturday. He sent a resignation letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Addressing a news conference at his residence in Bengaluru, he said, "I am resigning from the Congress and the legislative council. I am also sending a resignation letter to Siddaramaiah. And I am free to decide what to do next. I resigned for self-respect. There is no room for self-respect in the Congress party. Next, I have a discussion with JDS Leader, former Prime Minister Deve Gowda, and Kumaraswamy, and will announce the next move. You will be surprised who will come with him. The Congress MLAs are with me. And huge political changes will start after March 20".
Senior Karnataka Congress leader CM Ibrahim resigns, says decision due to self respect "The BJP will get a majority in June. It is up to the Congress leaders to decide about their resignations. I am resigning today. Thanks to Rahul Gandhi, Sonia, DK Shivakumar, and Siddaramaiah. Also thanks to the party activists. Everyone is doing politics for self-esteem. And I am going out for a position.
We are the 21%. Has anyone made a Muslim KPCC president in 70 years? Have you had a good minister in Congress for the last 70 years? Did any Muslim was appointed on any boards?" he questioned.
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Ibrahim also said that he wrote letters to Sonia Gandhi 12 times, saying the move was unfair. He further sought to know whether Congress did anything to bring in development for Muslims in Karnataka.
"...the party selected Mr. B.K Hari Prasad, the most junior member as the opposition leader in the Legislative Council. Whenever I raised some basic questions regarding the functioning and development of the party, I have not received a proper response," he stated in his resignation letter.
He also said that he could not speak to either Gandhi herself or Rahul Gandhi despite being a senior leader. "It has not routed through the in-charge General Secretaries and it is well-known to you how they respond which I do not want to elaborate," he said.
Ibrahim expressed confidence that if he went to JDS, he is sure-shot that it will come to power in Karnataka. "I am a theoretical politician. I can't say on which condition I am joining the JDS, it would be disrespectful to Deve Gowda. I'm not going to become King. I will become kingmaker," he told the media.
In a bold claim, the veteran Congress leader said that Siddaramaiah would not return to the CM's chair even if Congress was re-elected.
"I can give it to you in writing if needed. Siddaramaiah lost in the Chamundeshwari constituency by 40,000 votes. He was the sitting chief minister. Why lost at Chamundeshwari? I asked Siddaramaiah to contest from Badami," he said.
