Addressing reporters here, Sriramulu said he had worked hard to bring BJP to power in four to five districts, but lamented that his efforts had been ignored by the leaders of the party who, he said, appeared to be keen on throwing him out of the party.
“The Lokayukta report, which was cited to keep me out of the Cabinet, was rejected at 4.30 pm, but my resignation was eagerly accepted half-an-hour earlier,” Sriramulu complained bitterly.
The former health minister, who was here to take part in several private functions, said: “Sriramulu is not a destroyer of party, but a builder.”
He said he had conveyed his dissatisfaction over the way BJP had treated him in the past three years, to Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Jagadish Shettar and MP Prahlad Joshi, who had spoken to him to persuade him to accept the party ticket to contest the bypolls. He said he would take a final decision after meeting former minister Janardhana Reddy at the jail in Hyderabad and file nomination papers on Wednesday. November 11 is the last date for filing nomination papers.
The former minister said some leaders and party workers have objected to his candidature for the bypoll which was necessitated by his own resignation to his membership of the Assembly.
“I’m dependent on my followers and voters, not on any party,” he declared, adding that he would go to the “people’s court” and bow to its verdict.