KALABURAGI, 2 FEB

Congress MLA BR Patil, who resigned as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's political advisor, alleged on Sunday that, like other MLAs, he was not receiving grants due to the pre-poll guarantee schemes.

Patil resigned from the post on Saturday, a position he had held since 29 December, 2023. He submitted his resignation to the Chief Minister’s Office in Bengaluru.

Congress had earmarked Rs 52,000 crore in the 2024-25 Budget for the five guarantees. However, party sources said that spending on these guarantees had far exceeded the budgetary allocation by November itself.

"There are problems. I did not resign mindlessly. If the Chief Minister invites me, I will meet him and explain," Patil told reporters in Kalaburagi.

He said he had written letters to Siddaramaiah twice. "But he too is under pressure due to the MUDA scam and state budget preparation but I told him that I will be with him like an intimate friend till the end," he added.

When asked about the reason for his resignation, Patil stated that he was unable to do anything for his constituency or address any other issues.

Feeling that his position as a political advisor was of "no use", he decided to step down, he added.

On whether grants were the primary reason, he clarified that, along with grants, there were other issues as well.

Dismissing speculation that he was eyeing a bigger post, Patil asserted that he was not "the kind of politician to engage in blackmailing".

He also announced that he would not contest elections in the future, expressing gratitude for having served as an MLA four times and as an MLC twice.