Sweets for Gali from an old pal

HYDERABAD: Former Karanataka minister B Sriramulu, who bucked the system to win the Bellary Assembly byelection by massive majority as an Independent candidate last week, visited his mentor Gali Janardhan Reddy at the Chanchalguda central prison here on Thursday. Trailed by a retinue bearing baskets of sweets and fruits for his boss, Sriramulu, Janardhan Reddy's elder brother Someshwara Reddy, Bellary MP J Shanta, Raichur MP Fakirappa and others met the mining baron in the jail and were closeted with him for nearly an hour. Reports had it that Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy loyalist MLA Mekapati Chandrasekhara Reddy was also present during the meeting but prison officials did not confirm the same.Before entering the prison, Sriramulu gave a hint of his plans. ''I will tour the state (Karnataka) and try to bring the people under one umbrella,'' he told reporters. Asked whether his plans include toppling the BJP government in Karnataka, Sriramulu it was not his priority. Emerging from the prison an hour later, Sriramulu's tone, however, did not sound the same. ''I met him (Janardhan Reddy) as he is my close friend and political guru. He advised me to serve the people (of my constituency). He told me that my services would be useful for the state,'' Sriramulu said.Asked for his comments on his enemy Tapala Ganesh joining BJP, Sriramulu looked a little embarrassed. "How can you compare him with me,'' he said. Sriramulu, who has been suspended from the BJP, is understood to have discussed with Reddy his plans of forming a new party. It was the Karnataka leader's first visit to Hyderabad after winning the byelection.