Dial ‘R’ for rebels: Ramalinga Reddy can’t reach ‘SBM’ clique in Mumbai

BENGALURU: Efforts by senior Congress leader and former minister, R. Ramalinga Reddy, to reach out to three rebel legislators of his party came a cropper on Saturday.

Sources in Congress said Reddy, who originally resigned on being denied a berth in the ministry but later showed up in the Assembly, made an attempt to reach out to three city legislators -- S.T. Somashekhar, Munirathna and Mr Bhairathi Basavaraj -- collectively known as SBM - during his visit to JD(S) patriarch H.D. Deve Gowda's residence. CM H.D. Kumaraswamy, too, joined him at Gowda's residence as Reddy worked the phones to talk to the trio.

These legislators handed in their resignation letters after consulting Mr Reddy but were not reachable today.

Emerging out of the meeting, Mr Reddy, however, denied that he attempted to contact any rebel legislators in Mumbai.

He disclosed that he last spoke with Mr Somashekhar on Monday and subsequently could not connect with him. He clarified that he was not an aspirant for the post of DyCM. On hearing Mr Reddy's decision to withdraw his resignation, Mr Somashekhar sent out an audio clipping on Friday morning, saying the rest would not follow suit.