In a significant twist to the Bellary (ST) seat bypoll, Tapal Ganesh, the whistleblower of the Reddy brothers who played a pivotal role in “exposing” the illegal mining scam, has joined the BJP.
After joining the party in the presence of party state president K.S. Eshwarappa, Mr Ganesh, who waged a legal battle against illegal mining by the Reddy brothers-owned Obulapuram Mining Company(OMC), told mediapersons that he was never against the BJP and had only opposed the Reddy brothers and the atrocities they had committed on the common people in the district.
He vowed to fight the Reddys and Independent candidate B. Sreeramulu in the byelection and oust them from the political scene.
Explaining the reasons for joining the BJP, Mr Ganesh said this was needed to protect the larger interests of lakhs of people who are dependent on mining and allied industries for their living and are now suffering after the ban imposed by the Supreme Court on mining in the district.
“Legal mining should be allowed to protect people’s means of livelihood. Chief minister Sadananda Gowda, former CM B.S. Yeddyurappa and party state chief K.S. Eshwarappa have assured me that they will appeal to the Supreme Court seeking permission for legal mining. I have nothing to gain personally by joining the BJP,” he remarked.
Sources said that Mr Sadananda Gowda has personally called up Mr Ganesh over phone and requested him to join the party now that his rivals, the Reddy brothers, were no longer with the BJP. Mr Eshwarappa himself went to the residence of Mr Ganesh and invited him to join the party.