Bengaluru, Nov 13 (NationPress) As Chief Minister Siddaramaiah prepares for his trip to Delhi amid mounting speculation regarding a cabinet reshuffle, sacked Minister and Congress MLA K.N. Rajanna has sent a stark warning to the party, suggesting a potential “whitewash” in Tumakuru.

This statement gains significant context given the current leadership struggle within the state Congress. Notably, Tumakuru is Rajanna's home district.

Rajanna made these comments during a bike rally and Jan Sampark meeting in Madhugiri, Tumakuru district, on Wednesday, with a video of his speech quickly going viral on social media the following day.

He stated, “In Tumakuru district, the Congress may face a whitewash situation. Only time will tell. In 2004, I ran for office as a JD(S) candidate and won. I joined JD(S) at that time because the Congress did not respect me. During that election, we completely eliminated the Congress presence from the district.”

“We wiped out the Congress back then. I can’t predict if that scenario will repeat -- we will have to wait and see. In politics, there are no permanent foes or allies. I noticed during the bike rally that not a single supporter was waving a Congress flag. Why is that? In the past, there used to be hundreds of flags. This time, not one was seen, which made me curious,” he remarked.

“In the coming days, let’s see which flag we will carry. The choice is yours, not mine. I’m not saying I won’t run in the next election,” Rajanna added.

Sources within Congress indicate Rajanna is frustrated with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who has distanced himself from Rajanna since his ousting from the cabinet.

In Tumakuru district, senior figures like Home Minister G. Parameshwara, Chief Minister’s Special Representative in New Delhi and veteran MLA T.B. Jayachandra, along with MLA H.D. Ranganath -- a close ally of Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar -- have reportedly struggled to placate Rajanna, as they are also vying for cabinet roles and influential positions.

Sources close to Rajanna suggest that his comments serve as a clear signal to party leaders—either reinstate him in the cabinet or provide a position for his son, Congress MLC R. Rajendra Rajanna.

Rajanna is recognized as a prominent Scheduled Tribe (ST) leader in Karnataka, with influence that extends beyond his constituency. He has previously challenged members of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda’s family and played a crucial role in Deve Gowda’s loss in the Lok Sabha elections from the Tumakuru parliamentary seat. Reports indicate that both the BJP and JD(S) are eager to bring him into their ranks.

Rajanna was removed from the cabinet for contradicting Rahul Gandhi’s statements about voter fraud. He has also publicly challenged Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, expressing his willingness to take on the role of party president and advocating for the establishment of additional deputy chief minister posts. He emphasized that if there's a change in leadership in Karnataka, a Dalit leader should be considered for the chief minister role.