A confidential eight-page letter penned by former Karnataka cooperation minister and Congress MLA KN Rajanna to senior party leader Rahul Gandhi has become public, injecting fresh turmoil into the state's ruling party. The letter, written on November 17, surfaces nearly four months after Rajanna's removal from the state cabinet in August.
Core Allegations: Blaming Organisational Failure
In the document, Rajanna squarely attributes the Congress party's underwhelming performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka to significant organisational failures. He places the responsibility on the doorstep of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.
Rajanna, a known associate of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, clarifies that his original intent was to critique the party's ground-level machinery. He asserts that booth-level agents appointed by the KPCC did not fulfil their duties. The letter argues that had the party president and concerned officials addressed these lapses, the Congress could have won 8 to 10 more seats in Karnataka alone.
National Ramifications and a Stark Claim
The MLA extends his critique to the national stage, suggesting similar organisational weaknesses cost the Congress dearly across India. According to his analysis, the party potentially lost an additional 30 to 40 parliamentary seats nationwide due to these issues.
He makes a bold political assertion, stating, "In such a situation, Narendra Modi would not have become Prime Minister. Instead, the Congress would have assumed power and our beloved young leader Rahul Gandhi ji would have become PM." This claim underscores the letter's serious indictment of the party's election management.
Context and Internal Power Dynamics
The timing of the letter's leak is crucial, as it coincides with the ongoing, albeit subdued, tension within the Karnataka Congress between the camps loyal to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar. Rajanna's letter is also a strong defence of Siddaramaiah's leadership.
He credits Siddaramaiah, describing him as an "Ahinda leader," for the party's victories in the state assembly elections of 2013 and 2023. The letter reiterates Rajanna's loyalty to the Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi family while urging action against those who he claims misrepresented his earlier comments to the high command, leading to his sacking on August 11.
Rajanna was removed from the cabinet after remarks on alleged voter fraud that were perceived as contradicting the party's official stance. In the letter, he requests an appointment with Rahul Gandhi to present his case personally and seek action against those who "misled" the leadership.
