‘Won’t say I will quit Cong, nor confirm I will be with it’: B.C. Patil

Bengaluru: The response from Congress legislators, who did not get a Cabinet berth in Friday’s expansion, varied from anger to acceptance.

While some appear willing to bide their time, Congress MLA from Hirekerur, B.C. Patil who was tipped to find a place on it, but lost out once again, said he was undecided on his future course of action while signaling his deep un happiness at not making the cut.  

“I will not say I will quit the party and nor will I confirm that I will stay. Time will decide,” Mr Patil said ambiguously, speaking to a few reporters at his home.

Mr Patil's name was doing the rounds along with those of the two independent MLAs, Shankar and Nagesh for  Cabinet berths in the run-up to the expansion.

But while the independents made it, he did not .

Clearly disappointed, Mr Patil complained that there was no opportunity in the government for those who had genuinely built the party. “Some leaders think if given power, I may grow. There was a time when a candidate would win even if he did not campaign after filing his nomination. But this is no longer possible,” he observed.

Blaming former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for his exclusion from the Cabinet, he said, "We thought Siddaramaiah was our leader, but he has ditched us. We don't know how the government will be stable by inducting independents into the cabinet," adding ominously,  "all the disgruntled leaders will meet and decide their future course of action.”