"CM's chair internal matter, why does PM care?": Former Minister KN Rajanna hits back at PM Modi

Tumakur (Karnataka) [India], May 13 : Former Karnataka Minister KN Rajanna on Wednesday strongly rebutted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's post, saying it was Congress' "internal matter".

"Whether our CM's chair is shaking or not is an internal matter of our party. Why does he care about our party's issue? What does he have to do with this?" Rajanna asked, speaking to reporters in Tumkur after a preliminary officials' meeting at TP Hall ahead of CM Siddaramaiah's visit.

Rajanna was responding to PM Modi's recent statement during his visit to the state that the "CM's chair is shaking".

"He won the elections in West Bengal by misusing the administrative machinery, but he still had to bow to the mandate of the people," Rajanna said.

"Earlier, 200 MPs used to win just by mentioning the name of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. She herself had to succumb to pressures of the situation and suffer defeat. Popularity in politics is not permanent for anyone."

"After Indira Gandhi, if there is any mass leader, it is Modi. I am not praising Modi... I am stating the fact," Rajanna added.

"But popularity in politics is not permanent for anyone. He should first understand this."

Commenting on PM Modi's statement advising people not to buy gold, Rajanna said, "He is not on earth, but in the sky. Words spoken from the sky are meaningless. Let him first come down from the sky and then speak."

On the BJP circulating Indira Gandhi's old statement on not buying gold, Rajanna said the contexts were different.

"The situation in the country was different when she made the statement. At that time, there was no food... There was famine. People may have said it with the intention of living in peace. It may have been right at that time. But now there is no such situation. Now there is no shortage of food. His statement does not match the current situation. As I said earlier, if Modi stands on the ground and makes a statement, his statement will make sense," he added.

Responding to Rahul Gandhi's congratulatory message to Tamil Nadu's new Chief Minister Joseph Vijay, Rajanna said, "If he congratulates, then all Congress leaders of the country will congratulate him. But his path is like walking on thorns."

"He has taken the decision to close 700 liquor shops for some reasons, and if he has abandoned all the ways to bring income to the state, how can he allocate money for freebies? This shows that he lacks experience," Rajanna said.

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