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
South Kanara police are doing wonderful job around...now they must take action against those bajrangies who had done ugly job around this incident....
In this case book the hate mongers and levy heavy penalty on them. They should be jailed for not less than 10 years with penalty of not less that 50 lacs for the loss of property done by the follower of these hate mongers. Take away their voting right and kick them out of karnataka.
If there are no instances of forcible conversions, what action they are going to take against those who accuse without any evidences? What action they are going to take against those hate mongers who incite communal hatred by using falsified allegations? At least a warning that it won't be repeated again or an public apology?
Now a days, Poojary's, Shankaracharya's Are converting to islam.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rJZWrX-fzk
Crorepati acharya Sanjay dwiwedi, who converted to islam, and preaching islam. Now leading a common life
@viren
UK's No 1 News channel
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1343954/100-000-Islam-converts-…
There is no force involved to convert to islam in anywhere of
If nothing is found by the Police, then why these dogs are barking in Kalladka ???/ ...
Dear brother Viren Naren
Please use your intellect that God has given U before it perishes with God's permission... Atleast PONDER on what PREM says and research on it before spreading your VeNOM without knowledge of ISLAM in this forum...
TRUTH will prevail however u try to deceive people... Anyway try your best but also note that U need to look into QURAN before making enemies with the TRUTH.
Without knowledge of your enemy ... U look Dumb.
Viren Kotian,
Who's forcing you to accept Islam???
But, you can be booked for inciting communal hatred between communities using this forum.
Prem and true (anti) Indian are doing religious propaganda here. coastaldigest.com should not entertain such comments. This is not a religious forum. They are encouraging religious conversions. DK police should take necessary action against such comments.
ISLAM is the only religion accepted by God...
Eternal life begins when death happens...
Dont worship the creation of God, thats the only sin which will not be forgiven by God... (associating partners with God...)
Know who is our CREATOR before bowing down to created things..
God is merciful and most compassionate... A honest heart will find God if his intention is right to know about God...
To know about God and his attributes read religious scripture specially the QURAN (the quranproject online) a manual to MANKIND... Read to understand about Creator not to Hate... please, as a human brother ... keep away your hatred and make effort to know who is our CREATOR rather than falling prey to some hate mongers...
USE YOUR GOD GIVEN INTELLECT...
Surah barakah 2:256
There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion.
Forcing anyone to convert is not allowed in islam.
No other religion book says so.
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