Arrest puts regional party on back burner

BANGALORE: The arrest of former minister and MLC G Janardhana Reddy on Monday by the CBI is a serious setback to his plans of floating a new political outfit with his close associate and former minister B Sriramulu.
The development has also given chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda a breather. The Reddy brothers were using all possible pressure on him to induct them into the cabinet even though their names were mentioned in the Lokayukta report on illegal mining.With Reddy in jail and Sriramulu resigned his assembly membership on Sunday, Gowda can now focus on his administrative and political duties.
Through Sriramulu, Reddy was supposed to announce the formation of the regional outfit on Monday. They had even planned to register the party with the Election Commission of India this week and strengthen it through Swabhimana Yatra, a statewide tour.
With BJP turning a deaf ear to the Reddys' demand for induction into the cabinet, they wanted to hit back. The larger plan was to float a BRS (B Sri Ramulu) Congress party and focus on North Karnataka and play the Lingayat card.
The North Karnataka and Lingayat factors were evident in Sriramulu's statements before tendering his resignation. He said they (Reddy brothers) wished to make Jagadish Shettar, a Lingayat from North Karnataka, the chief minister and project him as an alternative to former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa.
BJP sources said the Reddys planned to rope in Yeddyurappa if the BJP marginalized because of his court battles. "The plan is to get 30-40 seats in the next assembly elections and form a coalition government with the majority party. Reddy or Sriramulu would have been the deputy chief minister. But their plans have gone haywire,'' they said. Chances of an alliance with YR Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSR Congress in some districts of Karnataka is not ruled out.
Dismissing it as mere speculation, state BJP president KS Eshwarappa expressed confidence that Reddy would remain in the BJP and not form a new party. "Sriramulu may have resigned citing self-respect, but that doesn't mean they will float a new party. They are loyal workers of the BJP and will be in the party,'' he said.
anil.kumar5@timesgroup.com