Sushma Swaraj opposes BSR Congress' merger with BJP

New Delhi: Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj  on Thursday opposed the party's proposed alliance with BSR Congress  of which the 'tainted' mining barons, the Reddy brothers of  Bellary, are a part and has written to the party president in  this regard.  

In a letter to Rajnath Singh, she said such 'tainted' leaders should not be allowed to be associated with the party  and vehemently opposed the entry of B Sreeramalu and Reddy  brothers of Bellary into BJP.  She has also opposed the entry of former Union Minister  and Congress leader Venod Sharma into Haryana Janhit Party  (HJC), which is in alliance with the BJP. 

"I am opposed to the BSR alliance or merger with BJP in  Karnataka. I have conveyed to Rajnath Singhji in writing  that BJP must not permit this," she said. 

Her opposition comes after Sreeramalu on Wednesday announced  that his party was merging with the national party two years  after he quit the saffron outfit. This came close on the heels  of re-entry of former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa  into BJP after the merger of his outfit Karnataka Janata  Paksha. 

Sushma's open opposition will force the BJP leadership not  to take the Reddy brothers back into the party. The Karnataka  unit of BJP is keen to see the merger of BSR Congress in BJP,  which is considered to have over 3 per cent votes. 

The Reddys had quit BJP after their arrest in the mining  scam. The Reddy brothers floated their own party called BSR  Congress under the leadership of their confidante and former  Karnataka minister B Sreeramulu in 2012 to take on the BJP.   The BSR Congress won four seats in the 2013 assembly  elections in Karnataka. The Reddy brothers were said to be  close to Yeddyurappa.

 The three Reddy brothers, Janardhana, Karunakara and  Somashekara, were once considered close to Swaraj. Janardhana  is in jail in Andhra Pradesh in an illegal mining case and was  considered Sreeramulu's mentor, while the other influential  brother G Somashekara Reddy is set to follow Sreeramulu back  into BJP. 

Opposing Venod Sharma's entry into HJC, which is run by  Kuldeep Bishnoi the son of former Haryana Chief Minister  Bhajan Lal, Swaraj said on twitter, "I am strongly opposed to  this. I have conveyed my views to Kuldeep Bishnoi. Venod  Sharma set to join HJC." 

Post his joining HJC, Sharma is tipped to be the BJP-HJC  candidate from Karnal Lok Sabha constituency. HJC is seeking  two seats of Hisar, which Bishnoi represents, and Karnal from  the BJP under the alliance. 

Sharma's son Manu is in a Delhi jail in connection with  the murder of model Jessica Lall in 1999.