Karnataka minister KN Rajanna resigns over remarks on ‘vote theft’ row
Karnataka Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna resigned from his post on Monday, hours after his comments on alleged electoral roll irregularities triggered a political storm.
Speaking earlier in the day, Rajanna said that discrepancies in the voter list, which Rahul Gandhi had described as “vote theft” in Bengaluru’s Mahadevapura constituency, had indeed occurred but at the time of the Congress regime.
His admission contradicted the party’s current position and provoked sharp rebuttal from deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar.
“When was the voter list prepared? It was during our government’s tenure. At that time, was everyone just sitting quietly with eyes closed?” Rajanna said.
He even warned that casual remarks on such matters could bring out uncomfortable truths.
"These irregularities did take place, that’s the truth. They happened right in front of our eyes and we should feel ashamed. We didn’t act then, and we must be more alert in the future,” he added.
Following his resignation, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah dismissed Rajanna from the cabinet.
According to media reports, Siddaramaiah sent the letter to remove Rajanna from the cabinet to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, which was accepted by the Raj Bhavan on Monday afternoon.
A veteran politician, Rajanna served as the cooperation minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka government.
Born in Karnataka's Tumkur Taluk, Rajanna holds a B.Sc. and L.L.B.He also serves as the director of Karnataka State Co-operative Apex Bank Limited in Bangalore and the District Co-operative Central Bank in Tumkur.
He is also a member of the agricultural produce marketing committee in Tumkur and had previously served as the chairman of the town panchayat in Kyathasandra.
In March, Rajanna stirred controversy by claiming that 48 politicians, including national leaders, had been honey-trapped.
Earlier this year, Rajanna caused a political stir in Karnataka after he claimed that Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi may succeed DK Shivakumar as the new president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).
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