Bangalore, 11 August (H.S.) :

Senior Karnataka Congress leader and Cooperative Minister K.N. Rajanna has resigned from his ministerial post following his controversial statement.

Following the instructions of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, he submitted his resignation letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah through his son Rajendra.

Reason for resignation: On August 8, at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of “voting rigging.” In response to this statement, Rajanna said, “We should be ashamed of ourselves for saying this now without first checking the voter list. The voter list was ready when our own government was in power, why did we turn a blind eye?” he asked.

As the video of this statement went viral on social media, the BJP used it to hit back at Rahul Gandhi. The video was sent to the high command by AICC Secretary K.C. Venugopal and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala. After checking, Venugopal brought it to the notice of Rahul Gandhi.

High Command Emergency Action

Rahul Gandhi, who watched the video, expressed his opinion that Rajanna's speech was insulting to his struggle and asked him to resign immediately. Surjewala forwarded this message to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Within hours of receiving the order, Rajanna submitted his resignation through his son Rajendra. The Chief Minister immediately accepted it and forwarded it to the Governor, who accepted Rajanna's resignation.

Ruckus in Rajanna Rajiya Legislative Assembly

The issue of Rajanna's resignation led to a debate in the session that began today. In the assembly, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashok lashed out, saying, How can he resign and sit in the ministerial post? Isn't it shameful? BJP member Sunil Kumar asked, What should we address him as now?

Responding to the opposition leader's statement, Rajanna lashed out, saying, The Law Minister told me not to speak. Don't talk lowly. You should be ashamed of yourself for speaking lowly.

Discontent within the party and background

K.N. Rajanna, a close aide of Siddaramaiah, has served the Congress for five decades. But in recent times, his statements have damaged the party's internal unity and embarrassed the high command. On June 27, 2025, he said that revolutionary changes will take place in the political arena after September, which caused confusion within the party.

This time, sources said that Rajanna, who spoke against his own national leader's statement in the vote rigging controversy, has angered the Congress high command and has warned that he will be expelled from the party if necessary.

Hindusthan Samachar / Rakesh Mahadevappa