Former Karnataka chief minister and BJP leader SM Krishna on Saturday claimed he quit the Congress because of party President Rahul Gandhi’s “constant interference”.

The 86-year-old was the external affairs minister under former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from May 2009 till October 2012. He resigned as a member of the Congress in January 2017, and joined the BJP in March that year.

“Ten years ago, Rahul was an MP and didn’t hold any party post but would interfere in all matters,” Krishna said, The Times of India reported. “Even though Manmohan Singh was the PM, many subjects were taken up without bringing it to his notice. Congress did not have any control over alliance parties. It was then that all major scams like 2G spectrum, Commonwealth [Games] and coal were reported. Such situations arise when there’s no able leadership.”

Rahul Gandhi took over the Congress from his mother Sonia Gandhi officially in December 2017.

“As I was in power in the UPA government from 2009 to 2014, I’m equally responsible for all good and bad things which happened then,” he told BJP workers in Mandya. He added that he had to quit the government because of Gandhi’s “order” that octogenarians should no longer be a part of it and because it had become unbearable to continue due to the “constant interference”.

“The country witnessed a revolution in the form of the general election results of 2014,” he added, according to The Hindu. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been ensuring scam-free governance and everyone should work for the BJP’s victory in the 2019 general elections.” He added that the alliance of opposition parties has no clarity or leadership.