Don’t allow Reddy brothers to win Sandur byelection, says Siddaramaiah in his appeal to voters

The Chief Minister claims that the BJP is trying to finish him off politically using the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax Department

Recalling those days when BJP leader Gali Janardhan Reddy and his brothers were at the peak of their power in Ballari, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that their power was such that officials in Ballari defied the then Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa.

“At a time, a difference of opinion cropped up between Mr. Yediyurappa and Mr. Janardhan Reddy. The Ballari Deputy Commissioner, the Chief Executive Officer of the Zilla Panchayat and the Superintendent of Police did not come to Jindal Airport to receive Mr. Yediyurappa. You can understand how officers were terrified by the Reddy brothers then,” Mr. Siddaramaiah claimed, at a public meeting in Bannihatti village of Sandur Assembly Constituency on Friday.

The event was a part of Mr. Siddaramaiah’s two-day campaigning for his party candidate E. Annapurna in the byelections in the constituency.

“I had then come to Ballari for byelection campaign. I went to a house seeking a cup of water and I was told not to reveal the fact that I drank a cup of water in that house. This was the type of terror that the Reddy brothers had unleashed in Ballari. Another time, C.M. Ibrahim and myself had come to Ballari for the Lok Sabha election campaign. We were not allowed to address public meetings in any major centre. Finally, we had to gather people near a temple managed by the Kuruba community and address the people,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said and urged voters not to allow the Reddy brothers to “resume their atrocities and terror” by winning the Sandur byelection.

“You must understand why we undertook a padayatra from Bengaluru to Ballari. Mr. Janardhan Reddy, his brothers and his friend B. Sriramulu were looting Ballari by carrying out illegal mining and hafta collection. There was no rule of law in Ballari then. Poverty and unemployment were ruling the roost. Mr. Janardhan Reddy and his gang were busy looting Ballari by carrying out illegal mining. My party and I undertook the padayatra to save Ballari from the clutches of the Reddy brothers,” he claimed.

In yet another public meeting at Yelubenchi village in the constituency, Mr. Siddaramaiah again appealed to the people not to vote for the Reddy brothers who, he said, tarnished Ballari’s name at the national level with their illegal mining and atrocities on people.

“The BJP leaders know that their party cannot grow in Karnataka as long as I am politically active. That is why they are trying to politically finish me off using the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax Department. They are not able to digest the fact that I am successfully implementing guarantee programmes for the poor. I have been booked in a false case but I don’t care about such threats,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said.

Training his guns towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister said that the Union government has meted out injustice to Karnataka in the devolution of taxes.

“Mr. Modi says that the Karnataka government does not have enough funds to pay salaries to government employees. We have spent ₹56,000 crore for guarantee schemes. We have also given over ₹1.20 lakh crore for development projects. Where did the funds come from? The Modi government has meted out injustice to Karnataka by denying ₹17,000 crore in the 15th Finance Commission. If it had given money, which was our rightful share, we could have taken up more development projects,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said.

The Chief Minister also recalled how the BJP government at the Centre had denied special status to Kalyana Karnataka by rejecting a proposal to insert Article 371(J) in the Constitution. He added that it was the Congress which fulfilled the long-pending demand.

“The BJP government denied Article 371(J). But, because of Congress leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi, it is a reality now. Due to this, the region is getting special funds and reservation for candidates in education and employment. I have allocated ₹5,000 crore to the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board. What did the BJP give to the region? I, therefore, appeal to the people not to vote for BJP in the Sandur byelection,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said.

Published - November 08, 2024 07:42 pm IST