SM Krishna quits Congress, says party" doesnt need me"

BENGALURU;  Former Karnataka Chief Minister SM Krishna, who has quit the Congress, today dismissed speculations about changing camps and a possible meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The leader, who had been one of the towering figures of the Congress for nearly 50 years, had quit last night,



miffed that he was being sidelined in the party. The senior leaders of the state Congress - including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and state party chief G Parameshwara - had said they were unaware of Mr Krishna's decision.

"I felt for some time that Congress doesn't need me, the party now depends on situation managers. They do not want time-tested leaders and workers," said Mr Krishna, who had served as a central minister under former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and had been the External Affairs Minister in the Manmohan Singh government since 2009.