Bengaluru : JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on last Monday has met senior leader and Congress MLC C M Ibrahim, who announced of quitting Congress on Thursday after he was not considered for the leader of the Opposition in Legislative Council, and invited him to return to the party fold.

Chand Mahal Ibrahim, a former Union Minister and one-time close associate of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, had joined Congress in 2008, and is said to be sulking for some time now, upset with the party and its legislature party leader Siddaramaiah.

Ibrahim, Kumaraswamy said, though left the party in 2004 for few reasons, there has been a cordial relationship between them. “I have observed how Congress and a few of his friends have treated him. We had political discussions today… In 1994, he along with Gowda immensely contributed in organising the party. I requested him (Ibrahim) to return to his former party to play the same role in the days to come …he will take a decision at an appropriate time,” he added.

Ibrahim had left JD(S) after the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. He was also associated with “AHINDA” (a social movement forged by minorities, backwards and dalits) in Karnataka led by Siddaramaiah before both joined the Congress. Ibrahim was seen as one among the close confidantes of Siddaramaiah.

Ibrahim has been sulking, upset with Siddaramaiah after he was not considered for the Leader of the Opposition post in the legislative Council, the position currently occupied by S R Patil, who is also considered to be close to the former Chief Minister.

In the first week of December, he said he had not decided to quit the Congress, adding that he would travel across the state after December 15 and get the opinion of his followers and well wishers before taking any decision.

He said, “nothing has happened between me and Siddaramaiah, I have never left anyone, they left me. I took Siddaramaiah to Badami (assembly constituency for 2018 polls)…I don’t have anything against him.”