Bengaluru, DHNS: Legislative Assembly Speaker K B Koliwad on Monday said he has decided not to accept the resignation of rebel Congress MLA V Srinivas Prasad. “The application to resign should be voluntary and genuine. Srinivas Prasad’s application is neither voluntary nor genuine. He has resigned because he was removed from the cabinet. Hence, I cannot accept the application. Let him (Srinivas Prasad) go to court if he wants,” Koliwad told DH.

Prasad had submitted his resignation on Monday morning. Koliwad also said it is the discretion of the speaker whether to accept the resignation or not. The speaker had posed eight questions to Prasad to explain why he was resigning. One of the questions was whether he resigned keeping in mind public interest. Prasad, for his part, said he was stepping down due to personal reasons.

Sources said Prasad’s replies gave the impression that he was quitting because he lost the ministerial post and to express his displeasure against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress party.