Bengaluru: Former senior Congress leader and Karnataka chief minister SM Krishna has said he was forced to quit the Congress party due to constant interference from Rahul Gandhi.
Krishna, who was external affairs minister in the Manmohan Singh government, said that Gandhi interfered in all the matters even when he was not the party president.
He further claimed that even though Manmohan Singh was the PM many subjects were moved forward without bringing it to his notice.
One of the tallest leaders from Karnataka Congress, Krishna joined the BJP in 2017 after giving 46 years to the grand old party.
Addressing the BJP workers in Maddur Krishna further said that he resigned as Rahul had issued an order saying that leaders who reached 80 years should not hold any ministry.
“From 2009 to 2014 when I was external affairs minister, there was a suffocating environment in the party,” said Krishna.
The former Karnataka CM claimed that Congress had no control over alliance parties and it was during this time that all the major scams like 2G spectrum, Commonwealth and coal were reported as such situations arise when there's no able leadership.
The 84-year-old was one of the close aides of Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv and held key ministerial positions at both the Centre and state.
The party also appointed him as the 19th Governor of Maharashtra from 2004 to 2008. However, the veteran Congress leader left the party as he was sidelined.
Krishna continues to hold sway in the Mandya, Mysore and Tumkur region, which has remained a Vokkaliga stronghold.