Bengaluru: The Congress party, already struggling to maintain credibility in Karnataka, has now been thrown into fresh turmoil this time due to the reckless and undisciplined statements of its own Cooperation Minister, K.N. Rajanna. His controversial remarks on the voter ID issue have not only embarrassed the party but also handed the BJP a ready-made weapon to attack Congress from all sides.
Party workers and leaders, fed up with Rajanna’s repeated defiance, have submitted a strongly-worded complaint to State Congress in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala. Led by Bangalore Central Campaign Committee President Prakash G, the complaint has the backing of numerous Congress workers who allege that Rajanna’s statements are creating confusion, undermining Rahul Gandhi’s narrative, and destroying the unity of the party.
The anger is palpable. Rahul Gandhi, along with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, KPCC President DK Shivakumar, ministers, MPs, MLAs, and thousands of Congress supporters, had staged a massive protest in Bengaluru just two days ago. The protest was aimed at accusing the BJP of large-scale voter fraud in the Mahadevapura assembly constituency during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Rahul Gandhi claimed that over one lakh votes had been stolen a serious charge that the Congress hoped to use to rally public sentiment.
But Minister Rajanna, instead of supporting the party line, made a statement that has left Congress leaders red-faced: “The voter list was prepared when our own government was in power. What is the use of sitting with a blind eye then and telling it now?”
This one sentence has done what the BJP could not have planned better themselves it undercut the credibility of Rahul Gandhi’s allegations and made the Congress leadership look either incompetent or dishonest. By admitting that the voter list was compiled under Congress rule, Rajanna has effectively told the public that the party is blaming others for its own failures.
The internal fury is understandable. The complaint against Rajanna states that, as a senior minister, he has a duty to defend the party in public, not undermine it. Yet, he has repeatedly made controversial statements that weaken the Congress’s position. Activists argue that his remarks have provided the BJP with fresh ammunition to question the sincerity of Congress’s voter fraud claims. They have demanded his immediate suspension and expulsion from the party to prevent further damage.
Meanwhile, the BJP has wasted no time in capitalizing on Rajanna’s blunder. Opposition Leader R. Ashok took to social media to hammer home the point, tweeting: “Minister Rajanna has said the truth the voter list was ready when the Congress government was in power. What is the use of sitting with a blind eye then and telling it now? Whether Rajanna was speaking to Rahul Gandhi or DK Shivakumar, CM Siddaramaiah must clarify.”
This sharp political jab not only mocks Rahul Gandhi’s leadership but also exposes the deep fractures within Congress. It paints a picture of a party that cannot even keep its ministers in line, let alone manage the state or hold the BJP accountable.
''ಕೈ"ಲಾಗದ @RahulGandhi ಅವರ ಯೋಗ್ಯತೆಗೆ ಕನ್ನಡಿ ಹಿಡಿಯಲು ತಮ್ಮ ಪರಮಾಪ್ತ ಸಚಿವ @KNRajanna_Off ಅವರ ಕೈಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹೇಳಿಕೆ ಕೊಡಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರಾ ಸಿಎಂ @siddaramaiah ನವರು?
2024ರ ಲೋಕಸಭೆ ಚುನಾವಣೆಯ ಸಂದರ್ಭದಲ್ಲಿ ರಾಜ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಅಧಿಕಾರದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದಾಗಲೇ ಮತದಾರರ ಪಟ್ಟಿ ಸಿದ್ಧವಾಗಿದ್ದು, ಆಗ ಕಣ್ಮುಚ್ಚಿ ಕುಳಿತಿದ್ದು,… pic.twitter.com/l34HKFbp6F
— R. Ashoka (@RAshokaBJP) August 10, 2025
Worse still, Rajanna’s statement has thrown into question the legitimacy of Congress’s massive protest in Bengaluru. If the alleged voter fraud took place under their own government’s watch, why should the public believe that their outrage is genuine? This hypocrisy is now the main talking point in political circles, overshadowing whatever momentum Congress had hoped to gain from Rahul Gandhi’s campaign.
