Ahead of the Karnataka election which is due next year, former Karnataka Minister and mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy on Sunday broke his two-decade old association with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and announced a new party named “Kalyana Rajya Pragati Paksha”, reported The Indian Express.
The politician, who is accused in illegal mining case and whose home district is Bellari, also announced that he will be contesting the state elections from Gangavathi in Koppal district. He also said that the party’s logo and the flag will be revealed in the next 10 to 15 days.
“Despite BJP leaders saying that I’m not the member of the party and have no relationship with it, the state and its people believed that I’m from that party, that belief has turned out to be false. Today I’m announcing Kalyana Rajya Pragati Paksha, with my own thinking, with the thinking of Basavanna (12th century social reformer), which is against the divisive politics in the name of religion and caste,” Reddy said.
Not allowed to contest from Ballari
Reddy, minister for Tourism and Infrastructure Development in the BJP-led Karnataka government from 2008 to 2011, is being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for alleged illegal extraction and money laundering.
In November 2015, a Special Investigation Team of the state Lokayukta arrested Reddy for his role in the illegal export of iron ore from the Belekeri port.
The Supreme Court had allowed him bail in 2015 under several conditions including prohibiting him from visiting Ballari in Karnataka, where the alleged mining took place, and Ananthpur and Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh.
In November 2018, Reddy was arrested got the fourth time in connection with an alleged multi-crore Ponzi scam, however, he got bail by a magistrate’s court, stating that the police had failed to provide enough evidence.
BJP leaders maintain he is not with party
Ahead of the 2018 Assembly elections, BJP leader and then party national president Amit Shah had said that the party had “nothing to do with Janardhana Reddy.”
A BJP functionary had said that the former minister was upset with the way the BJP has been ignoring him for a few years now, reported news agency PTI. This could cut into the ruling party’s vote share in certain constituencies, especially in the Bellary district, the person added.
Meanwhile, reacting to the political development, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said that no regional party has ever been successful in the state. Senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister Jagdish Shettar said that he will discuss with party leaders to see the impact.
State Congress president DK Shivakumar congratulated him, and Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy said the former minister’s move was expected.
Reddy’s brothers G Karunakara Reddy and G Somashekar Reddy are currently BJP MLAs from the Harapanahalli and Bellary Assembly constituencies, respectively.