KN Rajanna said, "When, where this has happened and by who I will inform when the time is right".
- KN Rajanna was dropped from Karnataka ministry over comments on voter theft
- Rajanna claims he is victim of a conspiracy and will meet senior Congress leaders
- Rahul Gandhi sought Rajanna's exit amid voter fraud political row, sources said
KN Rajanna, the Karnataka minister and close aide of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who was dropped from the ministry today over his comments on voter theft, has said he has become the victim of a "big conspiracy". He said he would soon go to Delhi and meet the party's senior leaders including Rahul Gandhi and KC Venugopal and "clarify the misunderstanding".
Read: Karnataka Minister Ousted After Voter List Remarks Upset Party, BJP Jeers
Sources had said Mr Rajanna's exit was sought by Rahul Gandhi, who is spearheading the Congress allegation that the Election Commission is hand in glove with the BJP in introducing huge numbers of fake voters - an issue that is now a full-blown political row.
Amid this came Mr Rajanna's comment that it was the Congress which was in power when the tinkering of voter lists took place and that the matter should have been flagged while it was happening by party leaders and not now.
"When was the voter list prepared? It was prepared when our own government was in power. At that time, were everyone just sitting quietly with eyes closed... These irregularities happened right in front of our eyes -- we should feel ashamed. We didn't take care of it at the time," he had said, handing the BJP a readymade weapon to target the Congress.
Read: Remarks On Leadership, Vote Theft: Inside Karnataka Minister's Ouster
After a day-long row about it, including in the assembly, he was dropped from the ministry.
Late this evening, Mr Rajanna said, "I won't give any details now, you can use the word resignation, ouster or let go, but behind all this there is a big conspiracy and planning".
"When, where this has happened and by who I will inform when the time is right. I will not say it now. I will go to Delhi meet Rahul Gandhi, AICC president and KC Venugopal to clarify the misunderstanding they have. Some MLAs and ministers will also join me," he told reporters.
Sources said Siddaramaiah was not keen on dropping Mr Rajanna, but he complied after senior Congress leader KC Venugopal had a word with him. Sources said Mr Rajanna and MLAs and ministers close to him were considering their next move and were likely to meet Siddaramaiah again for further discussions.
Sources also said for Mr Rajanna, it is a touch and go situation. The Congress high command is now closely tracking the matter and another controversial statement could lead to very strong action against him.
