Party betrayed my trust: Sait

State Cabinet Expansion This Evening

Supporters of 6-time NR MLA Tanveer Sait seek justice, shout slogans such as ‘Resign, Sir!’

Mysuru: Senior Congress leader and six-time MLA from Mysuru’s Narasimharaja  Constituency, Tanveer Sait, has openly expressed his disappointment over being denied a Cabinet berth, saying the assurances given to him had not been honoured and that his future course of action would depend on consultations with his supporters.

Addressing a press meet at his residence here this morning,  soon after AICC announced the list of 20 new Cabinet Ministers of the D.K. Shivakumar-led Congress Government in Karnataka, Sait said, “My hopes have turned into despair. The assurance given by the High Command has proved hollow. My next step will be guided by the decision of my workers.”

He also questioned the manner in which the party had handled disciplinary issues, pointing out that some leaders had faced consequences for remarks against the party leadership while others who had openly criticised the party had not faced any action. Without naming anyone directly, he said certain leaders had violated party discipline without consequence.

He said, he had consciously avoided making personal attacks despite his disappointment and had continued to remain a disciplined Congress worker.

Sait recalled that he had declined offers of positions in Corporations and Boards after being assured that he would be inducted into the Cabinet after two-and-a-half years.

“Even when I was told that I could not be made a Minister because our district already had the Chief Minister, I accepted it without protest. But the party has betrayed that trust,” Tanveer Sait said. Claiming that he had not lobbied in New Delhi for a Ministerial post, Sait alleged that some State-level leaders had worked against him.

“The High Command has not wronged me. The injustice has come from leaders in the State. I will soon reveal who was responsible for denying me the opportunity,” he said.

Sait also expressed concern over the lack of Cabinet representation for Mysuru city and district. He said, many of his supporters had urged him to resign, but added that he would take a final decision only after consulting them. “My faith in the party has weakened,” he said.

Reflecting on the state of politics, Sait said, it was time for political parties to introspect. “Has politics reached a stage where only those who raise their voice receive attention, just as a child gets milk only when it cries? We need to reflect on the direction in which politics is heading,” he said.