Bellary: The ruling Congress party has taken the battle to the opposition camp in the race to win the Bellary (ST) seat bypoll with energy minister and party heavyweight D.K. Shivakumar reportedly calling up prominent JD(S) and BJP leaders inviting them to join his party ahead of the polls.
Sources said that among those Mr Shivakumar met was former Bellary City MLA and Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) chairman Gali Somasekhar Reddy. Mr Reddy who is now in the BJP, is learnt to have turned down the invitation. Mr Shivakumar was reportedly spurred to meet Mr Reddy following reports that the former MLA was not happy with Mr Sriramulu chosing his personal assistant Mr Obalesh as the BJP candidate for the Bellary (ST) seat. However, he is in no mood to go against the wishes of his younger brother and jailed former minister Gali Janardhan Reddy who has approved Mr Obalesh’s candidature.
An undeterred Mr Shivakumar is said to be calling up prominent non-political personalities too seeking their support for the Congress party and its candidate N.Y. Gopalakrishna in a bid to create a ‘Congress wave’ and weaken the morale of BJP leaders. The Bellary (ST) Assembly seat was vacated by Bellary MP B. Sriramulu following his election to the Lok Sabha.
Chief Minister Siddaramaih too hit the campaign trail in Bellary ridiculing Mr Sriramulu saying, “the Parliamentary system is not a kindergarten, I am sure Mr Sriramulu will never open his mouth in Parliament even once during his five-year term”.
Taking a dig at Mr Sriramulu's habit of resigning and forcing people to vote in by-elections including the present one, the CM said he was good at political drama and under the illusion that voters of his constituency ‘were in his pocket’ and would go by his decision without giving it a second thought.
Reacting to the demand made by the Bellary MP to the state government to release a White Paper on the funds granted to the district, Mr Siddaramaiah ridiculed him saying Mr Sriramulu did not know the meaning of a 'White Paper and someone had made him come up with the demand. "Let him first release a White Paper on the funds he got from the government since 2008 and how much was spent for development", the CM hit back.
