JOIN USA padayatra spread over 54 days, covering 921 km from Bidar to Bangalore, has not left former minister B Sriramulu exhausted.
On Sunday, he announced that he would undertake another walkathon from Karwar to Kanakapura to drum up support for his new party – Badavara Shramikara Raithara (BSR) Congress.
Addressing a large gathering of supporters during the valedictory of his padayatra at Freedom Park, he said he would cover the coastal and old Mysore regions in the second leg of his walkathon.
He, however, did not reveal as to when he would set out on his plan.
Sriramulu, who quit the BJP and got re-elected as an Independent MLA, after the CBI arrested his close associate Janardhana Reddy in the illegal mining case, has been pulling all stops to prove that he and his associates are still a force to reckon with, in the State politics.
The former health minister, sources said, was expecting that Reddy would be out on bail by the time he completes his padayatra. But there are no such signs.
He, at the same time, has to maintain the tempo of his thumping victory in the bypoll to Bellary rural constituency. Hence, he has decided to undertake another walkathon.
A la YSR Cong in AP
Sriramulu said the BSR Congress will do what the YSR Congress-led by Jaganmohan Reddy in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh did in the recent byelections (YSR Congress swept the polls winning 15 out of 18 seats).
“It is true that regional parties did not survive in Karnataka. But the situation has changed now. Regional parties are in power in many states. They can feel the pulse of the people, which national parties fail to do,” he said.
He also promised to dole out sops and freebies to the poor like free education, full rights over cultivating land, announcement of MRP for farm produce at the time of sowing seeds, rice at Rs 2 per kg if voted to power – initiatives that Jagan’s late father Rajashekara Reddy had taken during his tenure as chief minister in Andhra Pradesh.
People had arrived from various parts of north Karnataka for the valedictory of the padayatra.
Earlier, Sriramulu arrived at the venue along with his supporters from the Palace Grounds, where he was staying since Saturday evening.
‘BJP govt should go’
BJP MLAs from Bellary hit out at their party for not coming to the rescue of Janardhana Reddy.
They openly identified themselves with Sriramulu’s BSR Congress party, which has been officially launched. KMF Chairperson G Somashekara Reddy, Suresh Babu, Nagendra (all MLAs) and Raichur MP Sanna Fakirappa vowed not to rest till the Congress and BJP were decimated.
Shanta welcomes re-counting
J Shanta said the re-counting of votes polled in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections would reveal the truth and help put an end to the harassment she was facing all these days from her detractors.
The High Court of Karnataka recently set aside her election and ordered re-counting. “I welcome the court order. I am confident that I will emerge victorious,” she said.