Bengaluru: With the Primary and Secondary Education Minister N Mahesh, Forest Minister R Shankar likely to resign from the state cabinet any time soon, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee has warned Shankar of getting him sacked from the state cabinet if he failed to accept the party membership with immediate effect. But Shankar declined to apply for the Congress party membership which has forced the Congress to act tough.

According to the sources, R Shankar who won as an independent MLA from Ranebennur has been inducted into the state cabinet under the Congress quota. But now the Congress wants him to join the party officially. But Shankar is refusing to join.

“If Shankar becomes the Congress member, he needs to follow the party whip. He may be sacked from the cabinet in few months. Fearing these actions, Shankar is not ready to join the party. Now the party wants to sack him from the cabinet and fill his post through a senior leader,” said a party senior leader.

“Janata Dal (S) is also not keen to retain him as the minister under its quota. So he is left with no option other than submitting his resignation,” he added.