- June 5, 2026
Karnataka CM D K Shivakumar on Ramalinga Reddy resignation issue
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Karnataka CM D K Shivakumar downplays minister Ramalinga Reddy’s resignation, calls him a close friend, says party will resolve the issue through talks.
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar with Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy. (Source: X)
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday sought to defuse concerns over senior Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy’s resignation, expressing confidence that the issue would be resolved through discussions.
Describing eight-time MLA Reddy as one of his “close friends”, Shivakumar said there is “no need to worry”, adding that the “party will sort out the problem”
Speaking shortly after Reddy stepped down from the ministry, the chief minister added that if the resignation was over a portfolio allocation, “that was his wish.”
“Ramalinga Reddy is my colleague. He is a senior leader. The concern he has is that it may not be possible for him to go to villages and carry out work extensively, and he would prefer to be given some other responsibility. That is his wish,” Shivakumar told reporters.
Also Read: First Setback For DK Shivakumar As Minister Ramalinga Resigns Days After Oath Over Portfolio Row
Reddy’s resignation came just two days after he was sworn in as a minister in the newly formed Karnataka cabinet. The senior Congress leader had been assigned the Major and Medium Irrigation portfolio, instead of the Bengaluru Development portfolio.
Speaking to reporters soon after the resignation, Shivakumar said, “Nothing to worry. He is a great friend. We are the closest friends among the Cabinet. We will sort out the problem.”
He further added in Kannada that he will speak to Ramalinga Reddy and “make everything right”.
“Ramalinga Reddy is my colleague and our senior leader. He said that he cannot go to the village and work. He said that I should give him some other ministerial post. I will talk to Ramalinga Reddy and make everything right,” the chief minister said.
Ramalinga Reddy Resigns From Cabinet
Ramalinga Reddy on Friday resigned over the allocation of portfolios. In his resignation letter, Reddy said, “I am resigning from the ministerial post because I am unable to act against my conscience.”
Reddy is unhappy with being assigned the Major and Medium Irrigation department after missing out on the Bengaluru Development portfolio.
Addressing a press conference after submitting his resignation, Ramalinga Reddy said his decision was not driven by a desire for power but by what he described as a breach of assurances made to him regarding the Bengaluru Development portfolio.
Reddy made it clear that his resignation pertained only to his ministerial position and not to his association with the Congress. Emphasising that he remained committed to the party, he said he had “not resigned” from the Congress.
“I am still in the Congress party; I have not resigned from the party. I have been in the Congress party for the past 53 years. I have handled several responsibilities within the party,” the leader said, while showing his resignation letter to the media.
Stressing that he had never lobbied for ministerial positions or specific departments, Reddy said, “I have never asked anyone to make me a minister. I have never gone to anyone seeking a particular portfolio.”
Ramalinga Reddy Accuses DKS
Reddy claimed that Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had personally assured him that he would be entrusted with the Bengaluru Development portfolio. He further alleged that Shivakumar and his brother had conveyed to him that the department would be allocated to him after two-and-a-half years.
“The Chief Minister had told me that I would get the Bengaluru Development portfolio. DKS and his brother had also told me that I would be given the portfolio after two and a half years,” he said, adding that he had met Shivakumar a day before the swearing-in ceremony.
Following Ramalinga Reddy’s resignation from the cabinet, several Congress office bearers and supporters have also stepped down from their positions in solidarity.
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