Will be helpful for us: Yeddyurappa on mining baron campaigning in K'taka

Bengaluru: Even as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah disowned former minister and mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy, the party's chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa said that the tainted minister would campaign for the upcoming Karnataka polls. This comes days after Amit Shah had said that the BJP has nothing to do with Janardhan Reddy.

Talking to NDTV, Yeddyurappa said Janardhan Reddy will support the BJP in two-three districts, adding that "it will be helpful for us". On being asked about a possible damage to the party's image, Yeddyurappa said "it was a crucial time" and that the "party will take the help of everyone who support their candidates" in the polls. In a surprise move, the BJP has fielded two brothers of Janardhan Reddy from Bellary -- Gali Somasekhara Reddy and Gali Karunakar Reddy. Yeddyurappa said that Janardhan had not asked for party tickets and that the decision was taken "unanimously" by the party. Earlier on Wednesday, 49-year-old, Janardhan Reddy was seen just outside the Bellari district campaigning for his friend V Sriramulu, the BJP candidate in Molakalmuru in Chitradurga district. Janardhan’s road show was entirely a BJP affair, complete with the party colours in flags, banners and scarves.

The 49-year-old, who has spent three years in jail over multiple charges of corruption and illegal mining, is out on bail since 2015. Janardhan was a minister in the BS Yeddyurappa government. He was removed after massive corruption charges involving illegal mining in 2011. While the Reddy brothers were credited with helping the BJP win it’s first-ever state in south India, later, they were seen to be behind much dissident activity against BS Yeddyurappa, who stepped down in 2011 following corruption charges. Earlier on Friday, Congress President Rahul Gandhi hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a graft issue, accusing him of supporting mining baron Reddy brothers. "Modi's aim is to give Karnataka's wealth into the hands of Reddy brothers, to give it to 5-10 rich people. Congress will never allow it to happen. Listen it is impossible," he said. Karnataka will go to polls on May 12 to elect its representatives for the 225-member assembly. The results will be out on May 15.