Traffic jams stop Sriramulu padayatra in its tracks
B Sriramulu had, on Wednesday, planned to take out a ‘hero’s walk’ to Vidhana Soudha, where he was scheduled to take oath as MLA. But his plan went haywire as hundreds of his supporters from Bellary remained stranded in traffic jams in Bangalore.
The Bellary strongman, who won the recently held Bellary Rural bypoll with a huge margin, wanted to take out a padayatra along with a large number of his supporters to Vidhana Soudha from Bannappa Park near Hudson Circle.
He was scheduled to commence the walk at 9.30 am and reach Vidhana Soudha at 11 am, the time fixed for the oath-taking. Unfortunately for him, most his supporters travelling from Bellary to join him in the walk, remained stuck in peak hour traffic.
Sriramulu, who arrived at the park at 9.45 am, was dismayed to know that most of his
supporters were yet to arrive. Vehicles in which his supporters were travelling - about 100 North East Karnataka Road Transport Corporation buses and an equal number of private vehicles - were stranded in traffic in different parts of the City. Sriramulu waited till 10.45 am, but his supporters did not turn up. As a result, he was forced to change his plan: He rushed to Vidhana Soudha in his four-wheeler and took oath.
The padayatra finally began around 12 noon. He was not aware that prohibitory orders had been clamped around Vidhana Soudha and that taking out protest marches and rallies was not permitted. Hence, at the eleventh hour he decided to wind up the padayatra near Anand Rao Circle. He, however, succeeded in disrupting traffic flow on major thoroughfares for some time.
‘BJP conspired against me’
Sriramulu, who is aiming to emerge as a leader of backward classes, accused the BJP of conspiring to spoil his political career. "The BJP included my name in the Lokayukta report on illegal mining to spoil my career. The BJP leaders targeted me as I belong to Valmiki community (ST)," he alleged.
In the Assembly, it was a different scene all together. Sriramulu, soon after he entered the House around 11 am, walked up to B S Yeddyurappa and exchanged pleasantries.
The former chief minister patted on the back of Sriramulu. BJP MLA Suresh Babu, who has been served with a show cause notice for anti-party activities, was seen prostrating before Yeddyurappa.
Sriramulu sat in the Opposition benches after taking oath of office as a member of the
House. He has reportedly asked the Speaker to give him a seat in the front row.
Karunakara to stay in BJP
Former minister Karunakara Reddy clarified on Wednesday that he was still with the BJP.
“The party’s State President K S Eshwarappa had made it clear that I am very much in the BJP during the Bellary Rural bypoll campaign. I cannot reply to rumours,” he said.
He was speaking to reporters after launching various development works at Harapanahalli, his constituency.
Reddy said he would try to bring former minister B Sriramulu back into the party, if the leaders gave him the responsibility. Karunakara Reddy had been maintaining a low profile for the last two months. He had neither visited his constituency nor taken part in the campaign for the Bellary Rural bypoll.
Bellary MLAs to defy notice
Bellary City BJP MLA and KMF Chairperson G Somashekara Reddy said he and two other suspended party legislators would rather give up their Assembly membership than reply to a notice served by the party.
The BJP had issued a show cause notice to the three MLAs – Suresh Babu and Nagendra are the other two - for supporting Sriramulu in the Bellary Rural byelection. The party has also placed them under suspension. But the MLAs, who took part in the padayatra organised by Sriramulu, have refused to reply. Bellary MP Shanta said she has not received any notice from the party.
