The non-inclusion of D.K. Shivakumar, Kagodu Thimmappa, A.B. Maalakaraddy and A. Manju in the Congress Ministry on Saturday triggered protests in their Assembly constituencies.
Mr. Shivakumar’s supporters, numbering around 3,000, who came from Kanakapura staged a protest outside the residence of the former External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna at Sadashivanagar here. Mr. Krishna was not in the house and his wife Prema Krishna persuaded them not to get disheartened as party president Sonia Gandhi was likely to speak to Mr. Shivakumar.
One person among the mob doused himself with kerosene, but the timely police intervention prevented any untoward incident.
Supporters of Mr. Thimmappa in Shimoga, A. Manju in Hassan, and Dr. Maalakaraddy in Yadgir town also staged protests.
In Mysore, supporters of Narasimharaja MLA Tanveer Sait staged a dharna in front of Mahatma Gandhi bust on Vani Vilas Road. One of them allegedly attempted suicide by dousing himself with kerosene, but it was foiled, and the police took the protester, identified as Feroze Khan, into custody.
A few Congress MLCs met under the chairmanship of S.R. Patil and discussed the next course of action.
Meanwhile, AICC secretary V. Hanumantha Rao, deputed by the party to the swearing-in function, said he spoke to Mr. Shivakumar and Anil Lad, and them there would be opportunities to include them in the Ministry in the next five years.
