Bengaluru: The state cabinet meeting held on Monday, November 19 witnessed a heated discussion between the Janata Dal (S) and Congress ministers over various issues. At one stage, Congress leader and Municipal Administration Minister Ramesh Jarakiholi boycotted the cabinet meeting when CM asked him about the ongoing protest by the sugarcane growers in Belagavi.
According to sources, the cabinet meeting started on a sour note with few Congress ministers including R V Deshpande requesting Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to apologise for his statement that a few farmers were behaving like goondas and questioning a woman agitator where she was sleeping all these years. But the CM declined to apologise. Congress ministers opined that both the statements may make the state government hugely unpopular.
When the meeting started CM HDK questioned Ramesh Jarakiholi about the sugarcane growers’ protest in Belagavi and asked why he didn’t try to douse the farmers’ anger. Upset with this question, Jarakiholi boycotted the meeting. Later few Congress ministers warned CM against any unilateral decision on major policy issues.
“CM HDK looked very tensed all through the meeting,” said sources
