Sriramulu resigns as MLA; Karnataka BJP in trouble?

Mangalore Today / DHN

Bangalore, September 4 : Upset at not being made a minister again, mining barons Reddy brothers’ loyalist B. Sriramulu Sunday quit the Karnataka assembly, adding to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s troubled rule in the state.

"I am resigning from the assembly as my image and prestige has been damaged following Lokayukta report on illegal mining scam that named me also, though I have not done any wrong," Sriramulu, who was health minister in the B.S. Yeddyurappa cabinet, told reporters here.

 

The two-time legislator from Bellary rural constituency, about 300 km from Bangalore, said he would submit his resignation letter to Speaker K.G. Bopaiah late Sunday.
Bellary, the iorn-ore rich district, is Reddys’ political stronghold.

Sriramulu was named in the Lokayukta report along with the Reddy brothers - G. Janardhana and G. Karunakara - who were also ministers in the Yeddyurappa cabinet.
The then Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde had recommended that all three be dropped from the ministry. The Yeddyurappa ministry itself went out July 31. Yeddyurappa quit that day as Hegde had recommended his trial for graft in illegal mining scam.

The Reddy brothers and Sriramulu were not included in the D.V. Sadananda Gowda cabinet that took office Aug 4. Lobbying by Janardhana Reddy, who owns Obulapuram Mining Company, to take his elder brother Karunakara and Sriramulu into the Gowda cabinet has not been accepted by the BJP central leaders.

Sriramulu’s resignation is seen in political circles as an attempt by the Reddys to mount pressure on party leaders to include him, Karunakara and a few other Reddy loyalists in the cabinet.

There are seven vacancies in the cabinet whose strength is now 27, including the chief minister. There was intense speculation that Sriramulu would quit BJP and float a regional party.

Sriramulu, however, said he would announce his plans after submitting the resignation letter to Bopaiah who was away in his hometown of Madikeri in Kodagu, about 200 km from here.

Sriramulu, who belongs to the Scheduled Tribe community of Valmikis, said he would tour the state from Monday to explain to the people "the injustice done to me by wrongly indicting me in the illegal mining scam".  He claimed that several legislators from Bellary’s neighbouring districts in north Karnataka were with him but "I have appealed to them not to resign as I want BJP to remain in office for the full five-year-term."

The BJP came to power in Karnataka for the first time in May 2008 assembly polls. The term expires April-May 2013. There is no immediate threat to the Gowda ministry, which is the second BJP cabinet in the only southern state it is in power, as the ruling party still has 118 legislators and the support of one independent in the 225-member house including one nominated.

Sriramulu’s resignation is one more episode in the BJP’s troubles which began soon after Yeddyurappa assumed office. The BJP had a tough time in forming its first ministry in the state as senior leader Jagadish Shettar insisted on a cabinet berth and was not willing to accept the speaker’s post. He was persuaded to take it up after several days of efforts.

Yeddyurappa faced three rebellions in three years, one led by Reddy brothers and two backed by them. Yeddyurappa eventually lost office for allowing a trust run by his sons to receive a Rs.10 crore donation from a company allegedly involved in illegal mining and also selling a piece of land costing over Rs.1 crore for Rs.20 crore to another mining company.

Though Sadananda Gowda has completed one month, he and the party leaders have not been able to complete the formation of ministry in view of pressures from many aspirants, including the Reddy brothers.