HK Patil leaves for Delhi

BANGALORE: After a week of interaction with Congress legislators including some ministers, unhappy with the cabinet reshuffle, Water Resources Minister H.K. Patil left for Delhi on Wednesday to meet the party high command.
Patil, whose initial plans was to reach Delhi by Thursday noon rushed to catch the first available flight connecting to Delhi once he got information that Chief Minister S.M.Krishna had left the headquarters (Bangalore). The CM went to Mumbai to see ailing industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani and is scheduled to return to Bangalore on Thursday morning.
Interestingly, Krishna and Patil went to Mumbai around the same time by separate flights.
Among the host of legislators who called on Patil on Wednesday, was Primary and Secondary Education Minister B.K. Chandrashekhar. The latter was closetted with Patil for over two hours.
Declining to comment on the purpose of his visit, Chandrashekhar only clarified to reporters that he had not come as an emissary of Krishna.
Urban Development Minister D.K. Shivakumar did some damage control exercise by meeting Minister C.R. Sageer Ahmed, who upset with the housing portfolio met Patil on Tuesday. Shivakumar reportedly told Ahmed that housing was the coveted portfolio as party president Sonia Gandhi had evinced interest in it, while Krishna had made a presentation of Karnataka''s housing programme at the CM''s conclave in Guwahati in May.
``Ahmed said he was upset over not being consulted on the portfolio change. He would acquiesce if the CM spoke to him,'''' sources quoting Ahmed stated.
Meanwhile MLA S.G. Nanjayyanamath denied that Bagalkot legislators delegation including him, who met the CM on Tuesday did not discuss politics. The delegation comprising Bagalkot MP R.S Patil, legislators S.R. Patil, J.T. Patil and Nanjayyanamath reportedly met Krishna to urge him not to raise the water storage level in Almatti beyond 516 meters. The proposed is 519.06 meters.
``Krishna assured to convene a meeting of Bagalkot legislators on July 10. No politics was discussed, '''' Nanjayyanamath said.
To stem the simmering dissidence in the party, KPCC president Allum Veerabhadrappa has warned Ministers and legislators of disciplinary action, if they continue to express anti-Krishna and anti-government sentiments to the media.
In a statement, Veerabhadrappa said Karnataka had gained its number one position in governance due to the discipline and unity maintained by the party. ``If anyone has any grievances, it should be expressed in party fora and brought to my attention. Whoever it is, they must understand that they are not bigger than the party,'''' he stated.