Congress chief's presence at Reddy wedding stuns party

BENGALURU: State Congress president G Parameshwara, who is also the state's home minister, attended the wedding of former minister and illegal mining lord Gali Janardhana Reddy's daughter Brahmani, along with three of his cabinet colleagues, causing a flutter in the party .

Congress was caught in a cleft stick as around the same time, Congress MP Anand Sharma tore into the Narendra Modi government in Rajya Sabha, mocking BJP leaders for attending the reportedly Rs 500 crore wedding, allegedly `conducted with illegally gained money from Reddy's old mining activities. Reddy , who was in jail for three-and-ahalf years and is out on bail, is facing cases filed by CBI and enforcement directorate over his reportedly massive wealth.

The Congress' student wing NSUI was also holding a protest in Bengaluru against the wedding at the time Parameshwara went and even showed a video of the lavish arrangements. NSUI state president HS Manjunath told ET: “We are not saying anyone should not attend this wedding. We are saying such a wedding should not have been held.We want to know how Reddy got that much money to hold it. Is the Modi government and his former mentor (external affairs minister) Sushma Swaraj funnelling black money through Reddy?“ The attendance of Parameshwara and his colleagues DK Shivakumar, HK Patil and Ramalinga Reddy , however, has stunned the party . Paramesh wara told ET: “I did not go there as party president or as a minister. When a man comes to your house and invites you to his daughter's wedding, as a human being, one should go. That is what I have done. I have nothing to do with Reddy and I have no business dealings with him.“

Chief minister Siddaramaiah, however, made it a point not to attend the wedding. An aide close to him told ET: “The CM feels uncomfortable as he took out a padayatra against Reddy's illegal mining and that was a factor in Congress' victory in the 2013 polls. Besides, going to such a wedding at a time when there is so much anger against black money is not correct.“

The BS Yeddyurappa camp in the BJP , however, was in full attendance at the wedding, with Yeddyurappa attending both sessions of it. Union minister DV Sadananda Gowda also attended it, but his Cabinet colleague Ananthkumar kept away. Senior RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhatt, attended the wedding. The only party that did a complete boycott was HD Deve Gowda's JD(S).