Bengaluru, Sep 2 Karnataka MLA H.C. Balakrishna, a close associate of Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President D.K. Shivakumar, has claimed that sacked Minister K.N. Rajanna was in touch with the BJP.
This comes amid the preparations by Rajanna's supporters to stage a protest in Delhi against his sacking in an attempt to draw the attention of the Congress high command.
Rajanna is a staunch supporter of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and MLA H.C. Balakrishna is considered to be a close associate of Deputy CM and state Congress President D.K. Shivakumar.
Speaking to reporters in Ramanagara city on Tuesday, Balakrishna said, “Rajanna has already set foot outside the party. If he undergoes brain mapping, the truth will come out. It will be exposed who he is in touch with. BJP leaders are welcoming Rajanna. This is one hundred per cent true. He has already initiated discussions.”
“Rajanna is in the Congress party only because we are in power. Otherwise, he would have left long ago. He has already stepped out of the party -- that is the truth,” he reiterated.
Balakrishna further said, “Rajanna is in touch with different leaders, and he himself has stated that he doesn’t need the support of any political party. Wait for some time, everything will become clear.”
Dismissing allegations of a conspiracy behind Rajanna’s exit, he said, “No one conspired against him. When he was a minister, everyone knew how he conducted himself and the kind of statements he made. He was sacked because of his irresponsible remarks, not due to anyone’s interference. What he is trying to do now is join another party. He has already applied to the BJP and is now trying to put the blame on us and our leader.”
“There is no conspiracy by our leader (Dy CM Shivakumar) in this. The high command intervened after Rajanna spoke directly against them, and that is why he was sacked. To find an excuse to quit the party, he is now talking about a conspiracy,” Balakrishna asserted.
“Let them hold a convention in Delhi in favour of Rajanna. We cannot stop it,” he added.
Meanwhile, Rajanna’s supporters are preparing for a Delhi rally demanding his reinstatement in the cabinet. Arrangements are being made to take about 10,000 people to Jantar Mantar, and sources revealed that train bookings have already been made. Seers from the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community are also likely to join the protest, with plans for a hunger strike in Delhi.
The development is likely to intensify infighting within the state Congress unit.
Rajanna, for his part, has maintained that he was not sacked solely for his statement against the high command on voter fraud. “My remarks about creating three Deputy Chief Minister posts in the state and comments on the honey trap case also led to my removal,” he said, indirectly targeting Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar.
“The truth will ultimately come out. Some people think they can say anything and get away with it. Power, once taken away, can always return,” Rajanna remarked.
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