Karnataka: KN Rajanna's supporters protest against removal from ministerial post

Tumkuru (Karnataka) [India], August 13 (ANI): Former Karnataka Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna's supporters on Wednesday held a protest at the Town Hall Circle in Karnataka's Tumkuru to condemn his dismissal from the ministerial post. The visuals showed protesters sloganeering and holding a banner with Rajanna's portrait.
Police have been deployed across the city as a precaution.
Earlier on Tuesday, Union Minister Prahlad Joshi hit out at Congress, saying that people are being removed for telling the truth.
"He is considered very close to Siddaramaiah. As far as I know, CM instructed him that you would have to resign. But Rahul Gandhi gave a message that he has to be sacked. The message was not to accept his resignation. If someone tells the truth, that person is removed immediately. He is a 72-year-old ST leader. It is their greatest insult to democratic institutions and also to the community which he represents," Joshi said during a press conference.
Meanwhile, KN Rajanna addressed his resignation from the Karnataka Cabinet, claiming a "huge conspiracy" behind his dismissal from the state Cabinet.
His exit follows controversial remarks on voter fraud that clashed with the Congress party's stance, drawing sharp reactions from the opposition.
Rajanna claimed that his earlier statement regarding "vote theft" was misunderstood.
His resignation came after talking to reporters in Tumkuru, Rajanna asked why Congress leaders "turned a blind eye" to irregularities in voter lists and kept silent when they should have raised objections.
He said, "Look, if we just start talking about such things casually, there will be different opinions. 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 their eyes closed? These irregularities did take place -- that's the truth. There is nothing false in this." (ANI)