Congress doesn't need mass leaders but wants managers: S.M. Krishna

A day after resigning from the Congress Party, former external affairs minister and senior leader S.M. Krishna on Sunday said the grand old party doesn't need mass leaders like him and only wants managers, who can handle a situation.

"The party demands only managers. They don't need time-tested leaders and workers like me. With pain and anguish, I have decided to quit the Congress. This is a time to do some introspection," Krishna told the media here.

Expressing pain over his ouster from the grand old party, Krishna alleged that the party had sidelined him citing his old age.

"What pained me was how the Congress sidelined a loyal worker lime me and cited my age for the same. I toured the state during the last elections and nobody thought I was old. Suddenly, they have discovered that I am old and need rest. I felt the Congress did not need me," Krishna said.

Citing that age is mere a state of mind and it shouldn't be perceived as the criteria for deciding what the situation needs, he said: "There are people, who are inactive even when young and the ultimate test is your intent."

In a written letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Krishna yesterday tendered his resignation from the party's membership.

"I am herewith tendering my resignation to the primary membership of the Congress Party," it read.

The 84-year-old first became a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1968 from Mandya.

Krishna led the Congress to victory in Karnataka in 1999 and served as the chief minister till 2004.

He also served as the governor of Maharashtra for the period 2004-2008.

Krishna served as the Minister for External Affairs during the UPA-II regime led by former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh.