Krishna slams Congress high command, says “party now depends on managers”
12:48PM Sun 29 Jan, 2017
BANGALURU, Jan 29,2017 : A day after quitting the Congress party, former Karnataka Chief Minister S.M. Krishna on Sunday slammed the Congress high command for sidelining him citing the age factor.
He dismissed speculations about joining the BJP or floating any regional party or meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr. Krishna, who has been with the Congress for the last 46 years, said “I felt that Congress doesn’t need me, the party now depends on managers. They do not want time-tested leaders and workers.”
Mr. Krishna, 84, said he had toured the State extensively to campaign ahead of the 2013 assembly elections, which the Congress won . “Nobody questioned my age then. Unfortunately, it is somebody else who decides, not me,” he said.
“My disillusionment with the party started after I was dropped from the Union Cabinet as External Affairs Minister,” said Mr. Krishna, who had served as the External Affairs Minister in the Manmohan Singh government.
“Age is a state of mind, age should not be a criteria, there are people who are young, but not active,” he added. Mr. Krishna, who also served as the Governor of Maharashtra, said: “I have seen both ups and downs in life. I have won elections and have been defeated.”
Asked about his future plan, he said “I need some time. I have quit the party without any consultations with my loyalists I consulted only my wife.”Photos
