Yellapur: The 15 rebel MLAs who had resigned from their posts in the recently dissolved Congress-Janata Dal (S) state coalition as legislators and had flown to Mumbai and Pune, have now begun telling their version of the rebellion. Among them is Congress MLA Shivaram Hebbar, who has returned back in his native.
Addressing the media, at his residence here on Thursday, July 25, he said, “We had resigned as legislators only for the reason that we could not serve our people and do justice to them. We are not ‘rebels’ but ‘helpless’ MLAs.”
Criticising the way in which the Congress-JDS coalition had treated the MLAs who had resigned, he said, “The reason for us to take such a decision is the helplessness we faced in the coalition. We had reached the saturation point. It was not an overnight decision, but it took us days and months to come to that point.”
He said that 20 of the MLAs resigning at once was a big decision after coming to a consensus on the same in reaction to the conduct of the state coalition.
Shivaram said, “We have not resigned under any pressure or for money. There is no question of us withdrawing our resignations and we all will stand united. We have heard and seen in media that ‘rebel MLAs will be joining BJP. ’First of all, we all have resigned only as legislators, so how can the BJP take us in and give us any portfolio? The ball is in Speaker Ramesh Kumar’s court. We all will take a collective decision only after Speaker Ramesh Kumar takes a call.”
Meanwhile, he reiterated that the dissident MLAS had not resigned from the party but only as legislators.
