Quit Congress due to Rahul Gandhi’s interference, says ex-Union Minister SM Krishna

Former Congress leader SM Krishna, who was External Affairs Minister in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government, has alleged that he had to quit the party due to constant interference by Rahul Gandhi.

Former Congress leader SM Krishna, who was External Affairs Minister in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government, has alleged that he had to quit the party due to constant interference by Rahul Gandhi. Photo: PTI (File)

BENGALURU: Former Congress leader SM Krishna, who was External Affairs Minister in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government, has alleged that he had to quit the party due to constant interference by Rahul Gandhi. "I was external affairs minister for 3.5 years and Manmohan Singh had no say over that portfolio. Rahul Gandhi was then a nobody, not even a general secretary. He issued diktat that those who turned 80 can't be a minister. When I heard that, I submitted my resignation and came to Bangalore," ANI quoted Krishna, who is now in the BJP, as saying. “There were matters that were never brought to the notice of even the ministers. The Cabinet was in discussion over passing an ordinance. But Rahul Gandhi who was somewhere in public tore a copy of the ordinance to bits. This is what they call extra-constitutional authority. He (Rahul Gandhi) was not answerable to anyone – neither Parliament nor governance,” he claimed. Alleging further that the environment was not conducive for governance during UPA rule, Krishna blamed compulsions of coalition politics for alleged scams during Manmohan Singh-led government. "In my second tenure during UPA, I was minister for External Affairs. I was also part of the Cabinet joint responsibility framework. It was not a conducive environment for governance. There was a coalition government and because of that nobody could say anything to the other about their conduct. Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister but had no control over his Cabinet colleagues. It was during that period that scams broke out," said Krishna. Krishna also hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for leading the country on a path of development and for his biggest contribution of a scam-free government. Reacting to Krishna's comment, Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao said: "Today, when I hear his statements, even that 1 per cent of respect I had for him is gone. For a person of his stature to speak like this, is absolutely disgusting. I don't know what is making him speak like this. "People even in their old age don’t seem to have enough. The want for more recognition, drives them to say such things. No damage to our party, it only damages his legacy. No BJP person is going to remember SM Krishna, it will only be Congress who will talk about him," he added.