Why BJP’s Shah avoided Ballari?

BJP President Amit Shah on Friday avoided going to Ballari district on his crucial campaign trail in the poll bound State. According to the party sources chief Amit Shah purposefully avoided going to Ballari to avoid embarrassment to sharing platform with Gali Janardhana Reddy.

BJP as a strategy has given tickets two Ballari Reddy brothers and four other aides of tainted Gali Janardhana Reddy which include B Sriramulu who has been prodded as the deputy chief minister if the party comes to power in Hyderabad Karnataka region.

Amit Shah recently in a rally in Mysuru clearly disassociated BJP with Janardhana Reddy. The party insiders feel it was Yeddyurappa who is encouraging them as a poll strategy in the ensuing elections.

Recently at Molakalmuru constituency Janardhana Reddy shared dais with party strongman BS Yeddyurappa who praised Janardhana Reddy for his role in the party. Lingayat strongman Yeddyurappa has told the media that he has pardoned Reddy in the interest of the state. Congress leaders which include party President Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah are attacking BJP and Prime Minister Modi for including tainted Reddy brothers. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who has made the return of the Reddys one of the main election issues, has attacked Yeddyurappa for "pardoning" the Reddys.

Siddaramiah in his tweet attacked  Yeddyurappa .” Very interesting!  BSY  has pardoned Reddy in interest of state 1 Which interest of Karnataka is served by pardoning someone who looted thousands of crores of Kannadigas’ wealth? 2 Is it upto you to pardon him? 3 Did you ask PM Modi to direct CBI to formalise the ‘pardon’?” he said.

In fact tainted Janardhana Reddy is leading and working out strategies in Hyderabad Karnataka for the saffron party and many party insiders confess it is an embarrassing for the party.

Meanwhile Janardhana Reddy has started campaigning for his man Friday B Sriramulu in Molaklmuru and at Badami where chief minister Siddaramaiah is contesting. He called Siddaramaiah as Siddaravana and said Sriramulu will defeat him at Badami. Yeddyurappa however told the media and justified that party has not given him (Janardhana Reddy) but he is campaigning for the party. He said “people have faith in him. He is on his own campaigning for the party. I am confident we will win more seats in Hyderabad Karnataka.”

In 2008 elections it was Reddy brothers and Yeddyurappa combine brought first ever BJP government in the south in Karnataka. After Reddy who was indicted and jailed for four years in the illegal mining case he is back in the party.

Former Karnataka Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde, whose report sent the Reddy to jail in 2011, has already expressed serious concerns over the BJP once again entertaining the Reddys. Congress president Rahul Gandhi has also launched an all-out attack on the BJP for using the Reddys to fight elections in Karnataka. Party insiders say  PM Modi is also unlikely to campaign in the Reddy bastions to avoid any embarrassment. Gali Janardhana Reddy has been banned to go to Bellari by the Apex court.