Bengaluru, Mar 25: Former Karnataka Minister and mining baron G Janardhana Reddy on Monday rejoined the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The Gangavati MLA, who is an accused in an illegal mining case, had formed the 'Kalyana Rajya Pragati Paksha' (KRPP) ahead of the state assembly polls last year, snapping his two-decade-old association with the BJP.
Reddy today merged his KRPP with the BJP as he, along with wife Aruna Lakshmi and some family members, joined the party in the presence of its veteran leader and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, state President B Y Vijayendra, and others.
Reddy had recently met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.
However, in the February 27 Rajya Sabha polls he had extended support to the Congress candidate.
Calling it a "home coming", Reddy explained that the move to merge KRPP with the BJP is to "make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister a third time".
"Amit Shah had invited me to Delhi and told me that -- there is no question of extending outside support (KRPP supporting BJP in LS polls) and instead I should join the BJP and work for it, as I took my political birth in the party. Accepting it, I'm joining the party," he said.
Praising Yediyurappa and the leader's contribution in his political growth, Reddy said he is happy that he will be working in the party now with the veteran leader's son Vijayendra.
"I will work as a common party worker along with other leaders under the leadership of Vijayendra. I have not come with any conditions or expectations. Whatever responsibility the party gives me, I will honestly work.
"BJP was always there in my blood, but due to some reasons I had gone out, but today I feel I have come back to my mother's lap. Looking at my brothers here, I don't feel like I'm coming back to the BJP office after 13 years," he added.
Welcoming Reddy back into the party, Vijayendra said his joining will strengthen BJP in the Kalyana Karnataka region.
"Liking Narendra Modi's leadership and accepting BJP's ideology, Reddy has rejoined the party. Reddy has said that Karnataka should have a larger contribution in making Modi PM once again -- to ensure that BJP and JD(S) alliance win all the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state, he is merging his KRPP with BJP and is joining the party," he said.
Before the assembly polls last year, Reddy had been largely politically inactive for nearly 12 years since his arrest by the CBI for an alleged role in a mining scam. During this period, he had a brief stint ahead of the 2018 assembly polls when he campaigned for his close friend and former Minister B Sriramulu in Molakalmuru Assembly segment.
In the run up to the 2018 assembly polls, the then BJP national president Amit Shah, in response to a reporter's question, had distanced the party from him and stressed that "the BJP has nothing to do with Janardhana Reddy." Accused in a multi-crore illegal mining case, he has been out on bail since 2015. Several conditions were imposed by the top court in its order which includes prohibiting him from visiting Ballari in Karnataka and Ananthpur and Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh.
Because of these restrictions, he had to contest the 2023 Assembly polls from Gangavati in Koppal district.
Expressing his displeasure about the way BJP had ignored him, Reddy had announced a new party last year and also took a dig at his brothers -- Karunakara Reddy and Somashekar Reddy -- and Sriramulu, as they remained with the BJP.
The three of them had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly polls, with Reddy's new party said to have impacted their performance in the election.
Sriramulu, a ST community leader and former Minister is now the BJP's candidate from the Bellary (Ballari) Lok Sabha constituency.
Reddy had played an instrumental role in strengthening the BJP in the Ballari district and is still believed to enjoy a considerable clout there as well as in adjoining districts like Chitradurga, Koppal and Raichur, which could be useful for the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls.
Reddy and his brother-in-law B V Srinivas Reddy, managing director of Obalapuram Mining Company (OMC), were arrested by the CBI on September 5, 2011.
The company is accused of changing mining lease boundary markings and indulging in illegal mining in the Ballari Reserve Forest area, spread over Ballari in Karnataka and the Anantpur district of Andhra Pradesh.
Reddy first came to political limelight during the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, when he campaigned for BJP leader, the late Sushma Swaraj, who had contested against Congress' Sonia Gandhi from Ballari.
Former Congress Minister T John's son Thomas John also joined the BJP today.
Comments
@Viren Kotian .. Mangalore Muslim family showed how to treat our Mangalore guest by inviting her , respecting her and giving a luxurious party to her.... But what your followers did in Mangalore thrown eggs and chappal????
Is it Mangaloreans culture?
Naren
I think it's time to ban fish also. Because fish is vishnus avatar. Which is more holier than cow.
If u try to ban fish. People might throw u eggs and chappels.
Now a days Indian Media has become the barking dogs. Those who feed them, it barks for them.
brave lady.....successful mission
Sumayya ..mostly Pakistan and mini Pakistanis are proud of her ...not true nationalists who say Bharath mata ki jai ..haha...
Haha ...one particular community which got pleased with her for praising Pakistan invited her and served birysni ..nationalist Indians who got agitated with her comments protested .indo-yemenis are not basically tulu nadu people. Haha one chap saying bd and vhp to goto borders ..ley saabi ...first advice that particular community to join army ..they are fit for nothing ...80% of army guys are from our community ...that's why we are giving befitting reply to porkis....one thing is clearly visible more and more bjp and sangh parivar becoming strong ..rashtradrohis are getting agitated and turning to terrorism ..one dargah head from Ajmer when visited Mangalore had said if modi becomes pm .his community becomes terrorists
Great words by Ramya madam. Not only Mandya, entire India is proud of you!
@Viren Kotian.. control your tongue. you people are worse than taliban. but as Ramya ma'am said the number of people like you is very small. Stay away from healthy society. go to hell!
I heard Ramya had food in a Muslim house in Mangalore! who knows they might have served her b***. She is behaving like Pakistani.
I think CD is giving too much priority to this woman. Politicians generally act. But this woman is a professional actress-cum-politician. So expert in acting. Need not to take her statements seriously.
Beauty with brains and courage! A very rare product. We cannot find another such personality in film and politics.
We love you ma'am. You are our real role model. You taught us how to be straightforward always and how to handle crisis.
Very beautiful and timely write up. An eye-opener for hate mongers who keep screaming.
Really nice and impartial write up. Thanks coastaldigest.com for showing the courage to go against the tide and write truth. hats off to you.
Coastal digest ! nice photo !
Ahem... Ahem...
Very meaningful message by sister Ramya. Her courage and honesty is really appreciable.
I fully agree with Ramya. The number of criminals and anti social elements is very small and they are scattered in all religions though no religion encourages crime and anti social activity. We should uphold unity and brotherhood.
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