Who's KN Rajanna? minister sacked for questioning Rahul Gandhi's claims
What's the story
Karnataka Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna resigned from the cabinet on Monday after he questioned the Congress party's silence over alleged voter list manipulation during its rule. The controversy erupted after Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, accused large-scale electoral fraud in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Gandhi had claimed there were over one lakh fake votes in the Bengaluru Central constituency.
Minister's challenge
Why did we remain silent: Rajanna
Rajanna had openly challenged his party colleagues, asking why no one spoke up about the alleged irregularities at the time. He said, "If irregularities occurred, then why was no one speaking up at the time? Why did we remain silent?" Later, he alleged that there was a "big conspiracy" behind the removal. "Even if you want to use terms like 'resignation,' 'dropped,' or 'sacked,' there is a conspiracy behind this...I will reveal everything when the time is right," he said.
Resignation
High Command's decision to drop me: Rajanna
In a big reveal, Rajanna told reporters late Monday night that it "was the High Command's decision to drop me." "This is the party's decision. This is not the right time to question the High Command in this situation. Therefore, to ensure there is no embarrassment to them, I am not going to make any statement now," he added.
Dismissal
Deputy CM Shivakumar reacts
Rajanna remarks that contradict Gandhi's claims were met with strong disapproval from party leaders. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar dismissed Rajanna's claims of irregularities in voter lists during the Congress-led tenure "right in front of our eyes." "Mr KN Rajanna is totally at fault. He doesn't know. My Chief Minister and my party high command will reply to that," Shivakumar told reporters in Bengaluru on Monday.
Political career
Know more about Rajanna
Rajanna was a close aide of Siddaramaiah and had been serving as Cabinet Minister for Cooperation since 2023. He started his career in the cooperative sector and was a director of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India. He was also president of Karnataka State Co-operative Apex Bank Ltd. He first entered the Karnataka Legislative Council in 1998 and served until 2004.
Journey
He joined JDS
After being denied a Congress ticket in 2004, he joined Janata Dal (Secular) and won elections from Bellavi that year. In 2013, Rajanna won the assembly election again, this time from Madhugiri. He won again in 2023 as a Congress candidate. In May 2023, he was appointed cabinet minister, with the Cooperation portfolio (excluding Agriculture Marketing).