Karnataka Minister Resigns After Voter List Remarks Upset Party, BJP Jeers

Karnataka minister KN Rajanna, whose remarks about the Congress voter list claims had upset the party, has resigned, sources have said. The minister, a loyalist of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, had sparked row saying that irregularities in the electoral rolls -- which is the big allegation from the Congress camp -- occurred in the state when the Congress was in power.

Mr Rajanna had held a meeting with the Chief Minister in the Vidhana Soudha, after which he sent in his resignation, sources said.

The BJP, which had raised a ruckus in the assembly over his comments -- demanding that the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil and Mr Rajanna clear the air -- jeered that the Congress insisted on gag orders on its members and there is no democracy in the party. 

"There is no democracy within the Congress. If you tell the truth you are asked to resign," said senior BJP leader CT Ravi.

Mr Rajanna had said last week that while irregularities had indeed occurred in the voter list, as claimed by senior party leader Rahul Gandhi, it had occurred when the Congress was in power. 

"When was the voter list prepared? It was prepared when our own government was in power. At that time, was everyone just sitting quietly with eyes closed? If we speak casually, we'll have to say many things," Mr Rajanna had said.

"These irregularities did take place -- that's the truth. There is nothing false in this. These irregularities happened right in front of our eyes -- we should feel ashamed. We didn't take care of it at the time. That's why we must be alert in the future," he said. 

He also urged that it is the responsibility of leaders to "act in timely fashion on issues like electoral rolls".

"When the draft electoral rolls are made, we must file objections -- that is our responsibility. At that time, we kept quiet and now we are talking," he said.

He had also agreed that electoral fraud did happen in Mahdevpura -- the constituency Rahul Gandhi focused on during his August 7 press conference.

His comments punch holes in the allegations of Congress's Rahul Gandhi -- that the Election Commission is taking orders from the BJP and helping introduce fake voters in the electoral rolls to engineer a victory for the party.