Labour Minister Santosh Lad told reporters in Dharwad on Thursday that he is very happy over the exit of Jagadish Shettar from the Congress.
“I am happy that he has left. It will not have any political impact on us,” he said.
“The Congress is a bus with two doors, one for entry and another for exit. Anyone can come and go. Mr. Shettar is exiting now. This action will not impact us in anyway,” he said.
“I am not sure why he took the decision,” he replied to a query.
He, however, said that Mr. Shettar cannot blame the Congress for his decision.
“The Congress treated him with great respect and gave him a position befitting his stature. We do not know what made him take this decision. Anyway, such things are common in politics. Once we are in public life, we should be prepared for such surprises,” he said.
Mr. Shettar had quit the BJP as he was unhappy with the party leadership. He had been vocally critical of some BJP leaders. He had willingly sought to join the Congress then.
“Our senior leaders accepted his application and made him the party candidate from Hubballi Dharwad Central constituency that he had held for over 30 years. Unfortunately, he lost the election. Despite that, we made him a member of the Legislative Council. Where is the question of him facing humiliation in the Congress,” he said in response to a query.
