Sriramulu to resign to defuse row

Karnataka Tourism Minister, whose statements against Chief Minister have brought the ruling coalition to the brink of break-up, is likely to step down.

Karnataka Tourism Minister B Sriramulu, whose statements against Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy have brought the ruling coalition to the brink of break-up, is likely to step down.

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"The minister will submit the resignation on Saturday evening to Deputy Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa," a close aide of Sriramulu told IANS.

"The resignation letter will be a two-line affair," he said when asked whether Sriramulu will explain in the letter the reasons for alleged murder attempt against Kumaraswamy.

"He may, however, submit a report in writing or orally explain the developments to party leaders," the aide said.

"The minister has not been asked by the party to quit. He is resigning on his own," the aide said.

While the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) of Kumaraswamy was to hand over power to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Oct 3, the proposed transfer seemed uncertain as the JD-S leadership demanded action against Sriramulu for making a serious charge against the chief minister.