Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Aug 11: Cooperation minister K N Rajanna has been compelled to resign from the state Cabinet following mounting pressure from the Congress high command.

The move comes in the wake of a series of controversial remarks made by the senior leader, including predictions of a “September Revolution” and open suggestions of a change in leadership in the state.

Rajanna met chief minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday and formally submitted his resignation. Sources close to the matter confirm that the decision was made following explicit instructions from the party’s central leadership, which was reportedly upset over Rajanna’s repeated public statements defying party discipline.

Leadership talk and ‘September revolution’ stir trouble

Rajanna had made headlines recently by claiming that Karnataka would witness a major political upheaval in September — a “revolution” that many interpreted as a veiled call for a change in chief ministership. Despite warnings from senior Congress figures, he continued to make statements hinting at internal discontent and pressing for a leadership shake-up.

These remarks are said to have drawn the ire of the high command, especially as they came at a time when the party is battling internal dissent and gearing up for critical bypolls and local body elections.

In a clear signal of displeasure, the party had already relieved Rajanna of his responsibilities as the in-charge minister for Hassan district just days earlier — seen by political observers as a precursor to his eventual removal from the Cabinet.

Contradiction of Rahul Gandhi’s voter fraud charge

What seems to have further sealed Rajanna’s fate was his public contradiction of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of voter fraud during the recent Lok Sabha elections. Gandhi had accused the BJP of orchestrating large-scale voter manipulation in Mahadevapura (within the Bengaluru Central constituency) and elsewhere.

Rajanna, however, dismissed these claims, stating: “When were these voter lists prepared? It was during our own government’s tenure. Was everyone asleep at the time?”

This candid retort was seen as deeply embarrassing for the party, directly undermining its national campaign narrative and raising eyebrows among senior Congress leadership.

With his resignation now tendered, Rajanna becomes the latest example of the Congress high command cracking down on dissent and tightening control over its Karnataka unit.