S M Krishna’s parting shot at Congress: Sidelined due to age

Read | Congress doesn’t need mass leaders, only managers: S M Krishna on his resignation

“No party where age and experience is not valued will have a great future. Age has to be valued. Out of sadness and grief, I have taken the decision to leave the Congress and I will stick by it,’’ said Krishna.

“I have been with the Congress for 46 years and I have seen the good and the bad. I have enjoyed the sweet moments and swallowed the bitter ones. Through everything, I have been loyal to the party. Today, I have a problem. Today, I feel the Congress does not want popular leaders. They have no people to manage the situation,’’ he said.

Read | S M Krishna’s resignation unfortunate, says Congress

He emphasised that he was not quitting politics, but did not reveal his next course of action. “In 2012, I was asked if I would retire from politics. I said politicians never retire, they only fade away,’’ said Krishna. He said he was not interested in an offer to join the BJP, made by fellow Vokkaliga and Union minister D V Sadananda Gowda.

“I have sent my resignation letter and many have asked me to reconsider. Calls have come from Delhi also. I seem to have reminded Delhi that I am still around,’’ said Krishna.

“Some people who are young may behave like the old, and those who are old physically can be young in mind. Age is a natural process. It is true that age has slowed me down. It is true that the Congress has given me everything. But there are also issues like pride, respect for age and value systems. Generations can change but values cannot change,’’ said Krishna.

He said that as a senior member of the party, he looked up to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and not the party vice president (Rahul Gandhi) or the secretary. He recalled his close association with Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and thanked Sonia for her support. He said he had not consulted anyone other than his wife on his decision.

Krishna, who also served as the Governor of Maharashtra, has been on the periphery of Congress politics in Karnataka since 2013, when the Congress won the assembly polls in the state and opted for Siddaramaiah — who joined the Congress from the Janata Dal in 2007 — as its chief minister.

However, several of Krishna’s loyalists are in key positions in the party and in the state, including Home Mnister G Parameshwara, who has been the state Congress president for over five years, and Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, who is tipped to be the next state party president.