Speaker sits on Sriramulu’s resignation
Exactly a week ago, B Sriramulu, former minister and a close associate of the Bellary Reddy brothers, resigned as an MLA. But Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah is yet to accept his resignation, despite criticism from the Opposition over the delay.
Sriramulu, BJP MLA from the Bellary Rural constituency, submitted his resignation letter to the Speaker at his residence in Kodagu on September 4. The Speaker had told the media he would go through the letter and act appropriately.
The Reddy brothers had made Sriramulu resign with a view to mounting pressure on the BJP to induct them into the Cabinet. But with the CBI cracking down on Reddy, Sriramulu appears to have dropped his plan to rebel against the party. He is also said to be reconsidering his decision on quitting as MLA.
The Opposition parties are crying foul, alleging that Bopaiah was acting in a partisan manner. “The Speaker’s double standards have been exposed. He accepts the resignation of an Opposition member in 10 minutes. But when it comes to his own party members, he waits for many days,” JD(S) State president H D Kumaraswamy said on Saturday.
The Congress too has been attacking Bopaiah over the issue. When Siddaramaiah resigned as a JD(S) MLA, the then Speaker Krishna did not accept it immediately on the grounds that the format of the resignation was wrong.
Siddaramaiah later went to the Speaker’s chamber and submitted the papers in the presence of many MLAs, and eventually he contested a byelection from Varuna on a Congress ticket.
Meanwhile, Sriramulu on Saturday said in Bellary he would urge Speaker Bopaiah to accept his resignation.
He said he would soon provide the reasons and documents — as sought by the Speaker — to justify his move and urge him to accept his resignation. He said he was confident that Janardhana Reddy would get bail. “I have offered prayers for his early release at various temples, including Chamundeshwari in Mysore, and at Tirupati,” he said.
“We are not involved in illegal mining. The arrest is a conspiracy by the Opposition parties. The jewellery seized by the CBI were purchased after paying tax. We are hurt by the portrayal of Janardhana Reddy by media,” he said.
