Karnataka’s lone BSP minister resigns, cites ‘personal reasons’

BENGALURU: Karnataka’s minister for primary and secondary education and the state’s lone Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator N Mahesh resigned from his ministerial post on Thursday, citing “personal reasons.” He was the first BSP minister in any state outside of Uttar Pradesh.

“I have resigned from my post and will work hard in my constituency (Kollegal)...i have only resigned as a minister but will continue to support chief minister HD Kumaraswamy,” Mahesh told journalists after submitting his resignation to chief minister Hdkumaraswamyandgovernor Vajubhai Vala. Mahesh said the decision was taken in light of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and that he would support Janata Dal (Secular), candidates in the bypolls set to be held for two assembly and three Lok Sabha seats next month.

Mahesh added that he had not informed BSP chief Mayawati about the decision and that he would not reconsider it even if she asked him to.

“The party and the movement is more important to me than any position. I was not aware that being a minister would take up so much of my time and my constituents have expressed displeasure that I have not been able to devote more time to them,” Mahesh said.

The former minister was accompanied by Rajya Sabha MP and Karnataka in-charge of the BSP Ashok Siddharth.

Siddharth told HT that it was just a coincidence that the minister chose this moment to resign. “I am visiting the state because I am in-charge of overseeing the party here... Mahesh had not informed me before as well,” Siddharth said.

Mahesh insisted that there were no differences in the government and that his resignation had only been for personal reasons.

The BSP and the Janata Dal (Secular) had formed a pre-poll alliance before the assembly elections in May. Subsequently, when the JD(S) decided to ally with the Congress after the polls threw up a hung verdict, N Mahesh was inducted into the state cabinet.

Mayawati has decided not to align with the Congress party in forthcoming assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.

Siddharth denied that there was any relation between these developments. “We had an alliance in Karnataka with the JD(S) and not the Congress so there is no question of a connection between the two decisions,” Siddharth said.

State Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao said there was no question of Mahesh’s move being a blow to the Congress. “Mahesh was made a minister as part of the JD(S)’S quota while forming the government. So, there is no question of this affecting our party. We will see in the coming days if it was a decision taken by the BSP chief or if, like Mahesh said, he wants to concentrate on strengthening the party,” Gundu Rao said.