A file photo of BJP leaders G. Janardhana Reddy and B. Sriramulu at the BJP-JD(S) ‘Mysuru chalo’ padayatra in Bengaluru in August 2024.
| Photo Credit: file photo

BJP leader and former Minister B. Sriramulu’s recent outburst against his long-term associate, business partner, and friend G. Janardhana Reddy has shocked many. However, for those observing political developments in Ballari, this was waiting to happen for some time.

The tension escalated after BJP national general secretary Radha Mohan Das Agarwal met with the Karnataka party leadership, where Mr. Sriramulu was apparently held accountable for the party candidate’s defeat in the Sandur byelection. The next day, Mr. Sriramulu publicly accused Mr. Reddy of misleading the BJP national leadership, allegedly conspiring to end his political career.

“The relationship between the two deteriorated significantly after Mr. Reddy’s imprisonment in multiple illegal mining cases 13 years ago. While Mr. Reddy languished in jail, Mr. Sriramulu politically flourished by assuming prominent offices in the government as well as the party. Mr. Reddy was upset with Mr. Sriramulu, whom he believed owed his political rise to him, for not providing sufficient support during his imprisonment,” a party insider in Ballari said.

When party was formed

The second major rift between the leaders surfaced after Mr. Reddy launched his political party Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha (KRPP) in December 2022. Mr. Reddy, despite playing a crucial role in expanding the party’s influence and facilitating the first BJP government in Karnataka in 2008 under B.S. Yediyurappa, felt “sidelined” within the party.

Mr. Reddy sought to combine his financial resources with Mr. Sriramulu’s popularity to build the party. He expected Mr. Sriramulu, a prominent Naik/Beda community leader, to join KRPP despite their strained relations. He hoped to demonstrate their indispensability to the BJP by securing a substantial number of seats in the 2023 Assembly elections.

However, this strategy backfired as Mr. Sriramulu refused to join the KRPP. Consequently, Mr. Reddy emerged as the sole winner of his party in that election (from Gangavathi). Even his wife, Gali Lakshmi Aruna, suffered a crushing defeat to the young candidate Nara Bharath Reddy of the Congress in Ballari city.

“Mr. Sriramulu’s refusal to join KRPP turned out to be a major cause for the deterioration of the relationship between the two leaders, prompting Mr. Reddy to attempt to undermine Mr. Sriramulu’s political influence. There were rumours that Mr. Reddy helped Congress candidate B. Nagendra in Ballari Rural to ensure the defeat of Mr. Sriramulu ,who contested as BJP candidate in the constituency in the 2023 Assembly elections,” said another political activist.

Boiling point

The rift between the two leaders reached a boiling point during the Sandur byelection after Mr. Sriramulu, a top contender for the BJP ticket, was denied nomination.

“Mr. Reddy ensured that Mr. Sriramulu would not get the BJP ticket, which ultimately went to Bangaru Hanumantha. He seized the opportunity to campaign extensively for the party candidate, aiming to regain his influence within the party and reassert his dominance over the Ballari district. In contrast, Mr. Sriramulu’s involvement in the campaign was noticeably subdued. Mr. Reddy subsequently attributed the defeat to Mr. Sriramulu’s indifference in the campaign,” said Shreeshaila Haldahalli, a Sandur-based activist and political observer.

Apparently, the ongoing larger rift in the BJP leadership in the State has also contributed its part to the worsening relationship between Mr. Reddy and Mr. Sriramulu, who identified themselves with two rival groups – the former with BJP State unit president B.Y. Vijayendra and the latter with Ramesh Jarkiholi.