Bellary: Launching a scathing attack on newly elected BJP Lok Sabha member Mr B Sriramulu at a public meeting at Moka village in Bellary (ST) assembly constituency on Sunday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah predicted that Mr Sriramulu will achieve nothing as a Lok Sabha member.
“The parliamentary system is not a kindergarten, I am sure that Mr Sriramulu will never open his mouth in the discussions in Parliament at least once in his five-year term,” the CM ridiculed while campaigning for Congress candidate Mr N.Y. Gopalakrishna along with KPCC chief Dr G Parameshwar and other leaders.
Taking a dig at Mr Sriramulu’s ‘habit’ of resigning and forcing people to vote in by-elections, Mr Siddaramaiah said Mr Sriramulu was good at playing political drama again and again and was under the illusion that voters of his constituency are in his pocket and would go by his decisions without a second thought. “Sriramulu resigned in 2011 in the name of self-respect and forced a bypoll on people. Now, once again, he has necessitated a by-election. “Where has he lost his self-respect? He is playing political drama for achieving his selfish motives”, the CM remarked
Reacting to the demand of Mr Sriramulu to the state government to release a White Paper on the funds granted to the district, Mr Siddaramaiah ridiculed that Mr Sriramulu did not know the meaning of ‘White Paper’ and someone had made him ask this question. “Let him first release a White Paper on the funds he brought from the government since 2008 and how much was spent for development”, he hit back.
Mr Siddaramaiah also recalled that Mr Sriramulu had never opened his mouth in the Assembly as a minister nor visited the CM’s office after he occupied the chair in the last one year, for developmental work or for addressing public problems.
Reminding voters of the ‘undemocratic and dictatorial’ regime of the Reddy brothers and Sriramulu when the BJP was in power, KPCC chief Mr Parameshwar appealed to people to vote for Congress candidate Mr Gopalakrishna for a free and fear-less atmosphere in the constituency and also assured a special package for the constituency.
Vice-chairman of the state planning commission Mr C.M. Ibrahim, ministers D.K. Shivakumar, P.T. Parameshwar Naik, Shivaraj Thangadagi and other senior leaders were present.
Meanwhile, as part of ‘Operation Hasta’ engineered by energy minister and KPCC in-charge for Bellary (ST) constituency, D.K. Shivakumar, former JD(S) MLA and granite baron Nara Suryanarayana Reddy joined the Congress in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC chief Dr G Parameshwar on Sunday.
Mr Reddy, at a massive public rally of the party at Moka village stated that he is joining the Congress to ensure the victory of Congress candidate Mr N.Y. Gopalakrishna in the by-poll. Mr Reddy was political secretary of then CM H.D. Kumaraswamy in the JD(S)-BJP coalition government in 2006-07 and was made JD(S) party in-charge for Hyderabad-Karnataka region. Disappointed over the JD(S) leadership not nominating him to the legislative council, Mr Reddy resigned from the JD(S) ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha election and lobbied hard to secure a BJP ticket in the recent Lok Sabha election from neighbouring Koppal constituency in vain.
Sources said granite exporter Mr Reddy has joined the Congress as the licenses of a couple of his granite quarries in Koppal district are about to expire. Hence, he wanted to maintain cordial relations with the ruling party for the renewal of his mining licences. Besides, he wanted to groom his younger son in a national party for a guaranteed political career.
Mr Reddy was elected to the assembly in 2004 on a JD(S) ticket from Kurugodu which is now part of Bellary (ST) constituency. Earlier, he had a brief stint in the Congress party when he followed former deputy chief minister M.P. Prakash who rebelled against the JD(S). Prior to this, he was district president of the BJP when senior leader Ms Sushma Swaraj contested from Bellary Lok Sabha seat in 1999.
