Karnataka Minister KN Rajanna resigns; Congress high command rejects CM’s plea to retain him

Karnataka Minister K N Rajanna has resigned from the Cabinet on Monday. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah made last-minute appeals to the party high command to retain him. Still, the leadership has rejected all explanations and directed Siddaramaiah to forward the resignation to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot without delay.

Party sources said the high command is upset over Rajanna’s remarks on alleged election “fraud” raised by  Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi. Rajanna had stated that such malpractice occurred during the Congress rule in Karnataka and should have been addressed much earlier. The comments, seen as critical of the party’s handling of the issue, have angered national leaders.

Siddaramaiah held a series of meetings on Friday over the development, which comes amid existing tensions. Rajanna had previously challenged Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, even expressing willingness to take over as Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president. He had also backed a Dalit Chief Minister if leadership changed in the state. Rajanna is known to be a close ally of Siddaramaiah.

Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, R Ashoka, announced in the House that Rajanna had submitted his resignation two hours earlier. Rajanna told reporters, “I am not clinging to power. I will respond by evening.”

On Friday, Rajanna endorsed Rahul Gandhi’s claims, saying the BJP and its ideological mentor, the RSS, manipulated electoral processes. He alleged irregularities in voter enrolment in the Mahadevapura constituency. He said Congress had leads in seven of the eight Assembly segments in Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha seat, with the lone loss in Mahadevapura deciding the result. He also maintained that earlier intervention could have prevented such malpractices.
(With inputs from IANS)