Rajanna is free to quit party if he wishes: Balakrishna

Congress leader and Minister for Municipal Administration H.C. Balakrishna lashed out at senior Congress leader and MLA K.N. Rajanna on Tuesday, saying he was free to quit the party if he so wished, and accusing him of “betraying the party while being part of it.”

This comes against the backdrop of Mr. Rajanna’s son and MLC R. Rajendra recently meeting JD(S) leader and Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy.

Speaking to reporters in Chitradurga, he said, “If Mr. Rajanna wants to leave the party and join another party, he is free to do so. Let him honestly answer whether his son contested the election fairly. The election process had not even concluded when he posed for a photograph with Mr. Kumaraswamy. If the Congress party does not pay attention to such issues, it may have to face serious problems in the future. Mr. Rajanna is betraying the party while remaining in it. The party does not belong to any one individual. He has engaged in anti-party activities, and strict action should be taken against him. We will lodge a complaint against Mr. Rajanna with the party high command.”