Mining baron-turned-politician, Gali Janardhana Reddy, declared the merger of his Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha (KRPP) party with the BJP on Monday in the presence of former Karnataka Chief Minister, BS Yediyurappa, state President, BY Vijayendra and other senior leaders in Bengaluru, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Vijayendra welcomed Janardhana Reddy into the BJP by handing over the BJP flag to him. Talking to the media after the merger, Reddy stated, "I am merging my KRPP party with the BJP. With the blessings of Yediyurappa and under the leadership of Vijayendra, I have joined the BJP."
"Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, invited me to join the BJP. It is because of Yediyurappa that the BJP found a strong base in Karnataka. When he became the CM, Yediyurappa had made me a minister. Now, his son is in charge," Reddy stated.
"I got an opportunity to work with father and son. I have joined the BJP as a party worker without placing any conditions. I am not an aspirant for any position," Reddy stated.
"I will work towards making Narendra Modi, Prime Minister, for the third time. I thank PM Modi and HM Amit Shah who have made India a global leader. I specially thank my dear friend, former minister and Bellary BJP Lok Sabha candidate, B. Sriramulu, ST Morcha state President, Bangaru Hanumantha and former National General Secretary, CT Ravi," he stated.
Welcoming the leader, Ex-CM Yediyurappa stated that the BJP will be significantly strengthened after Reddy's joining. "We will utilise his services in the coming days appropriately. We are happy with the joining of Reddy," he stated. This parliamentary election will shape the future of the country, he underlined.
Former minister Sriramulu stated, "Reddy has returned home. We got distanced for some time and now he has come back. After his joining, the BJP's base will get stronger in Kalyana Karnataka region. We will get maximum votes in Bellary, Koppal and surrounding regions."
(With inputs from IANS)
