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New Delhi, May 2: Bhartiya Janata Party’s (BJP) chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa on Wednesday said that it was party president Amit Shah’s decision to give tickets to Reddy brothers in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections 2018. In this election, seven Reddy brothers have been given tickets. The decision had left many BJP leaders uncomfortable, but since it was central leadership decision, none questioned it.
In a special interview given to a newspaper, Indian Express, a former chief minister said that giving tickets to Reddy brothers is not negative. And if they work for the party, it will be good. He also said that Janardhan Reddy has not been given the ticket.
Till now BJP has released three lists of candidates and Janaradhana Reddy’s younger brother G. Somashekhara Reddy’s name was declared in the first list. His name has raised many eyebrows. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also said that people are worried about the re-entry of Reddy brothers in politics. They are among the ones who looted country’s natural wealth and had the lavish life.
Who is Janardhan Reddy?
Former minister G Janardhan Reddy and his family were part of the BJP establishment when the party was in power in Karnataka from 2008 to 2013. But the party distanced itself from Janardhan Reddy after his name emerged as the main suspect in Rs 16,500 crore illegal mining scam. (Also read: Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018: Key Takeaways From PM Narendra Modi’s Speech)
What is the scam?
According to reports, tonnes of iron ore worth of crores were allegedly illegally mined in Ballari, and exported from nine ports in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Andhra Pradesh between 2006 and 2011. The major regularities involve mines in Bellary, including those of Obulapuram Mining Company owned by G. Karunakara Reddy and G. Janardhana Reddy who were ministers in the Government of Karnataka at the time.
The scam came to light in 2010 when B S Yeddyurappa was chief minister. In a report, the then-Karnataka Lokayukta, Santosh Hegde, named over 700 suspects, including Yeddyurappa himself. Janardhan Reddy, currently out on bail and barred from entering Ballari by a court, is the main accused in the scam. The case was handed over to the CBI in 2013.
Final Leg of Campaign in Karnataka:
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday addressed the Kisan Morcha Karyakartas of Karnataka via the Narendra Modi App. Attacked the Congress for ignoring farmers, he said the present government did not let the benefits of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana reach the state’s farmers.
Modi kicked off the final leg of BJP’s campaign for Karnataka polls by addressing three rallies in Chamarajanagar, Udupi, and Belagavi on Tuesday. Modi unleashed an all-out attack on Congress president Rahul Gandhi and dared him “to speak in any language” for 15 minutes about the achievements of Karnataka’s Siddaramaiah government without referring to a piece of paper.
Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018:
Karnataka will go to polls on May 12 and the results will be declared three days later on May 15, the Election Commission announced on March 27. The 224-member Assembly expires on May 28 in the state where the Congress is currently in power, with 122 seats against the BJP’s 43.
The major national parties contesting the elections are Indian National Congress (INC), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Janata Dal and Janata Dal (Secular). Apart from that, several regional parties like Coorg National Council, Kannad Chalavali Vatal Paksha, Karnataka Congress Party, Karnataka Kranti Ranga and Karnataka Vikas Party are influential among their respective castes.
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