Sriramulu exudes confidenceof winning in Molkalmuru

B. Sriramulu, senior BJP leader, claiming to be the unquestioned leader of Valmiki Nayaka community, faced an unexpected agitation by his own community members accusing him of dislodging S. Thippeswamy, MLA, to contest from Molkalmuru in Chitradurga district. Friday’s protest at Nayakanahatti, a pilgrim centre, in the district, by the supporters of Mr. Thippeswamy, on the very day when Mr. Sriramulu wanted to launch his election campaign, may affect his poll prospects in Molkalmuru constituency.

For, those who have been seeing the rise of Mr. Sriramulu feel that this was for the first time that ever since he entered public life, especially after 2008 when he emerged as a State-level leader, representing the Valmiki community, he had experienced the wrath of the Valmiki community.

Mr. Sriramulu had also become popular when he, along with his close friend and mining baron G. Janardhan Reddy, played an important role in establishing the first BJP government in South India on the one hand and as the founder of BSR Congress had moved heaven and earth to win as many as four seats, that too against all odds on the other.

In fact, Mr. Thippeswamy came to the fore only when he was fielded by Mr. Sriramulu as the BSR Congress candidate in 2013 elections and was an ardent follower of the latter. But he was in for a shock when the BJP announced the name of Mr. Sriramulu to contest from Molkalmuru, which is a reserved constituency for Scheduled Tribes, leading to the straining of relations between the two.

After the protest, in which women demonstrated with brooms in their hands and chappals and stones were hurled at the vehicle of Mr. Sriramulu, both have indulged in a war of words besides throwing a challenge to one another.

Mr. Sriramulu, reacting to the reported statements of Mr. Thippeswamy that he had won from Molkalmuru on his own and that he had helped the former to win the Lok Sabha election from Ballari in 2014, reiterated before presspersons here on Saturday that he would contest from Molkalmuru as decided by the party.

“I will contest from Molkalmuru and if Mr. Thippeswamy has the guts, let him either contest as an independent or support other political parities, to defeat me. I will file the nomination papers and go round the constituency for a couple of days and the rest of the time I will tour the State in support of my party candidates. I am confident of winning there,” he said.