BENGALURU: Senior Congress MLC and former Union minister CM Ibrahim on Thursday threatened to quit the party and his post after he was overlooked for leadership roles in the legislative council.
His announcement came a day after AICC general secretary BK Hariprasad was formally chosen as leader of opposition (LOP) in the 75-member council. AICC also appointed Prakash Rathod as chief whip and K Govindaraju as deputy LOP. Ibrahim and Hariprasad were lobbying hard for LOP post ever since SR Patil retired from the house in January. Patil was not given a ticket to recontest. Hariprasad, a backward classes leader identified with the DK Shivakumar camp, was chosen over Ibrahim, who was with the Siddaramaiah camp.
“Shivakumar and Hariprasad are on good terms, so it may help them coordinate better,” said Ibrahim, who joined Congress in 2008 from JD(S) along with Siddaramaiah. He alleged there is a lack of political understanding with Shivakumar and a loss of confidence in Siddaramaiah in the party.
On his future plans, Ibrahim said: “AICC has given me a Sankranti gift. Sonia Gandhi has lessened my burden and I am now free to take decisions. I have been getting calls from JD(S), SP and TMC, and I’ll decide in 8-10 days.”
