Days after being removed from the Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah cabinet, former Cooperation Minister and Madhugiri MLA K N Rajanna on Friday asserted that he would return as a minister during the current government’s tenure.
Speaking to reporters, Rajanna said losing the ministerial berth has not shaken his confidence. “I have achieved everything I wished for in life. This (minister post) too will come back to me in this term itself. Why do you have doubts?” he remarked.
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Rajanna was shown the door on Monday, reportedly following instructions from the Congress high command. His recent remarks questioning the party’s handling of alleged voter list irregularities during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are said to have hastened his exit. He had pointed out that the electoral rolls were prepared when the Congress was in power and wondered why the irregularities weren’t prevented then, even as Rahul Gandhi alleged “vote theft” in Karnataka.
The senior leader, however, maintained that he has no bitterness over the decision. “I am not upset. Such ups and downs are part of politics. I will go to Delhi after the Assembly session to meet the leadership and understand the real reason for my removal,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The senior leader, however, maintained that he has no bitterness over the decision. “I am not upset. Such ups and downs are part of politics. I will go to Delhi after the Assembly session to meet the leadership and understand the real reason for my removal,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Without naming anyone, Rajanna hinted at “unseen hands” behind his sacking. “How can such a decision come suddenly without forces working in the background? Even the chief minister wasn’t aware. He was seen speaking alone on the phone while on his way to Vidhana Soudha. It was about my removal. Later he told me the high command had decided, and I accepted it,” he revealed.
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He suggested there might be leaders in Delhi systematically working against him. “It is not that I don’t know how to systematically finish someone politically. I too know that skill, but I prefer using my time for the welfare of people rather than waste it on such things,” Rajanna said.
On whether his candid remarks against the party line had cost him the job, he replied, “Where have I spoken ill of anyone? I may have spoken the truth, but some people may have distorted my statements to the high command. That happens in politics. I will try to know the exact reason when I meet them.”