She asks people to continue supporting the Reddy brothers
With mining baron G. Janardhan Reddy in jail for over 11 months and his brother G. Somashekar Reddy and blue-eyed boy Suresh Babu landing in jail in connection with the cash-for-bail scam, Mr. Janardhan Reddy’s wife, Lakshmi Aruna, has now stepped in to look after the political affairs of the Reddy brothers.
It is learnt that on Sunday Ms. Aruna, who is out on bail in connection with the illegal mining case, convened a meeting of supporters of Mr. Babu in Kampli Assembly constituency, which he represents, and tried to instil confidence among them.
The meeting was convened following reports that the people, who had supported the Reddy brothers as leaders of BJP, had started staying away after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Mr. Janardhan Reddy on charges of illegal mining and the Anti-Corruption Bureau, investigating the cash-for-bail scam, arrested Mr. Babu and Mr. Somashekar Reddy, besides reportedly issuing a notice to B. Sriramulu, independent MLA, to appear before it.
Enquiries revealed that except for a small group of people from Kampli town and a few other villages, there was no representation from most of the villages forming part of Kampli Assembly constituency.
Ms. Aruna, in an attempt to encourage the supporters, reportedly said that they (people) need not lose heart and that they could approach her in case of any difficulty.
‘Don’t lose heart’
“Don’t feel disheartened by the arrests of Mr. Janardhan Reddy, Mr. Somashekar Reddy and Mr. Babu. I am confident they will be released soon, as they have done no wrong. If you (people) have any work, come to us and we will attend to it. Continue to show the same kind of support as you were extending earlier,” she reportedly said.
Mr. Sriramulu, J. Shantha, MP, and a few zilla panchayat members were present at the meeting.
