S M Krishna feels “liberated”

Senior Congress leader S M Krishna has claimed that he felt “liberated” after Congress President Sonia Gandhi permitted him to resign as Governor of Maharashtra.

Speaking to reporters after assuming charge as the Chairman of the Election Management and Co-ordination Committee of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, Krishna also said that he was grateful to Sonia Gandhi for paving the way for his re-entry into Karnataka politics.

A former Chief Minister of Karnataka, Krishna was appointed as Governor of Maharashtra after the Congress party could not secure a majority in the 2004 assembly polls. Though he reluctantly assumed charge of the gubernatorial post in neighbouring Maharashtra, Krishna had been bringing pressure on the party High Command to relieve him from the post as he was interested in active politics.

With the party High Command yielding to his request just ahead of the assembly polls in Karnataka, Krishna said he was “at ease” ever since he left the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai.

Krishna also sought to clarify that he was not eying the post of Chief Minister in Karnataka if the Congress returns to power after the coming polls. “I have no interest in posts. My only aim is to bring the Congress back to power in the State”, he said.

“If I were to be interested in plum and coveted posts, the position of Maharashtra Governor is no ordinary post. Its capital Mumbai is the financial capital of India. I am not enamoured by posts”, he sought to clarify.