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Rajanna’s statements have had one consistent effect — putting his own party on the defensive, often forcing Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to refute or fight fire
KN Rajanna (left) continued to court controversy, defy party discipline, and “speak his mind”. (X)
Sacked Karnataka Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna’s latest comment on the “vote theft” in Karnataka has turned out to be the last nail in the coffin for a man who has made a habit of landing the Congress in trouble.
For Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM Shivakumar, it was the tipping point — the culmination of a long list of political grenades Rajanna has lobbed in public since 2023.
This latest episode, where Rajanna publicly questioned the Congress’s own handling of the voters’ list — even as Rahul Gandhi was making “vote theft” a major pitch for the Congress party and taking on electoral fraud — saw Rajanna stating, “The 2024 Lok Sabha voters’ list was made when our government was in place, why did they turn a blind eye?”
Over the past two years, Rajanna’s statements have had one consistent effect — putting his own party on the defensive, often forcing Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to refute or fight fire.
With his “vote theft” issue being the latest and most damaging, the Congress has finally decided to cut its losses. Rajanna has been sacked from his position as Cooperation Minister.
Party sources say KPCC chief Shivakumar is likely to discuss with the high command the possibility of suspending Rajanna from the party, as his repeated violation of the disciplinary code had been denting the party’s image — especially when the party is in power in Karnataka. His sacking from the cabinet was, as one senior leader put it, “Only a matter of time.”
The now former minister went further: “We are saying that it is vote theft. It is true that this happened. But we should be ashamed that we are saying it now without looking into it first… The irregularities took place right in front of our eyes. We did not look into it.”
Despite multiple warnings and clear gag orders on speaking to the media on issues of leadership change and the workings of the Congress government in Karnataka, Rajanna continued to court controversy, defy party discipline, and “speak his mind” — but the party saw it as indiscipline and repeatedly embarrassing the state leadership.
The Long List of Provocations
Rajanna, a prominent Scheduled Tribes community leader of the Congress, was also an aspirant for the post of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president. In February 2025, defying the high command’s explicit gag order to speak on matters related to the KPCC chief elections or change of CM in Karnataka, Rajanna announced his willingness to resign as minister if made the KPCC president, directly challenging Shivakumar’s position.
He had, in fact, in May this year announced his retirement from electoral politics, saying, “I am already 75 years old. By the time the next election is held (2028), I will be 78 years old, but I will continue to be active in politics. Youngsters should be given an opportunity, and we have to give them guidance,” Rajanna said while reiterating that he would not quit politics completely even if he stayed out of electoral politics.
But then another statement by him in June this year, where he hinted at political upheavals, put the Congress in an embarrassment once again. “There are too many power centres within the Congress in Karnataka,” he declared, also stating that “changes could happen after September” — a statement made at a time when there was already a lot of sound and fury on leadership change in the state, with speculation that Siddaramaiah would hand over the baton of governance to his deputy Shivakumar.
Siddaramaiah publicly dismissed this, telling reporters it was “better to ignore” the remarks, but privately was furious that his own minister had created yet another round of speculation about a leadership change.
Rajanna also didn’t spare Siddaramaiah, despite the fact he is known to be a close associate and supporter of the CM.
Rajanna, in his veiled barbs, said, “During 2013-18 there was only one power centre. Now there are many — one, two, three. You can say how many ever you want. When there are many power centres, there will be more hustle and bustle, and in that background, he (Siddaramaiah) will also have to manage the government and party, according to the situation.” His comment hinted that the CM’s style had changed from his earlier term when the Congress was in power.
Continuing on the matter of leadership change, when Shivakumar, in his capacity as the state Congress chief, issued instructions to all ministers, MLAs and Congressmen not to talk to the media about the CM and Dy CM posts or any changes if there may be, Rajanna openly challenged him: “What’s wrong in issuing statements? Let him issue the notice to me. I don’t care about warnings. Party leaders cannot be asked to talk as per his directions. I can’t remain quiet.”
He then accused Shivakumar of “misusing the AICC’s name”, saying: “We should tell him not to misuse the AICC and high command’s name, as he repeatedly mentions them for everything. Will the AICC come and speak on every issue?” When asked if this was an allegation, Rajanna shot back: “Yes, it is not an allegation, but a fact.”
In March, he skipped a crucial Apex Bank meeting — called at his own office as there was a need to take a decision that required consultation with all directors on a no-confidence resolution against the chairman of the bank.
Shivakumar, several Congress MLAs, and officials had gathered for the meeting, but after waiting for close to an hour, the DCM and the other MLAs were seen leaving Rajanna’s chamber without any discussion taking place.
This was despite him attending the Assembly session earlier in the day. His office informed the waiting leaders that the minister’s health had suddenly deteriorated — leaving the DyCM embarrassed and fuming.
The Honey-Trap Bombshell
In March, Rajanna claimed in the Assembly that “about 48 politicians” in Karnataka — including central leaders — had been caught in honey traps, calling Karnataka state “a factory of CDs and pen drives.”
He also mentioned that he too was the target of a foiled honey-trap operation. Pointing towards all elected MLAs, he sparked uproar. “They (pointing to the Opposition) are also involved,” he said. He had later sought a thorough investigation from the Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara on the honey trap issue.
Ayodhya to Deputy CM Posts – Brewing more trouble
In January 2024, he stirred a storm just before the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya was inaugurated, accusing the BJP of constructing temples for electoral gains. He compared the sacred site to “two dolls kept in a tent”, claiming there was no divine vibration in Ayodhya.
When he saw the massive backlash from people, Rajanna later clarified that his remarks were based on past experiences of visiting the temple area and said that he would reassess upon revisiting Ayodhya again.
“There are Ram temples with a history dating back thousands of years. These are holy places. Now, the BJP is building temples for elections. The BJP is cheating people. I went there when Babri Masjid was demolished, they kept two dolls in a tent and called it Lord Ram,” he had said. These remarks instantly drew condemnation from the VHP and the BJP. Embarrassed, he was asked by the Congress party to refrain from making such comments.
In 2023, just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, he proposed that Karnataka should have three deputy chief ministers — one each from SC/ST, minority, and Veerashaiva-Lingayat communities — undermining the Congress’s official decision that Shivakumar would be the only DCM. “One post should be given to SC/ST, second to a minority leader, and third to a Veerashaiva leader… it has been proved from this Assembly poll that the Veerashaiva vote has mostly come back to the party,” he said.
Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor at News18, has been a journalist for nearly two decades in the television and digital space. She covers south India for News18’s digital platform. She has previously worked with t…Read More
Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor at News18, has been a journalist for nearly two decades in the television and digital space. She covers south India for News18’s digital platform. She has previously worked with t… Read More
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