B. Sriramulu

B. Sriramulu is an Indian politician from the state of Karnataka. He is from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He is a member of the current Karnataka legislative assembly representing Bellary Rural Constituency. Currently, He is serving as the Health and Family Welfare minister in the Government of Karnataka.

Background

B SriRamulu was born in Bellary, Karnataka on August 8, 1971 To B. Thimmappa, a railway employee and B Honnuramma, a house wife. He is the 7th child from among 4 brothers and 4 sisters. His nationality is Indian. He is a Hindu and he hails from the Valmiki community.

Childhood & Education

His childhood was completely spent in Bellary. His education was done in various schools where he underwent formal education - Primary (1-7th) from Shanthi Shishu Vihaar and high school (8th-SSLC) from HG High School. He did his PUC from Veera Shaiva College. His political inclination has its base during his student days where he started noting down the differences in the economic conditions of people. He then went on to become a graduate- B.A. During his School days he was inclined towards various organizations that were a part of his ascent in being a leader of prominence. He was an active captain in NCC, NSS, and Scouts and then went on to become the School Pupil Leader. This is his first tryst with Leadership.

B Sriramulu always stood for righteousness. Even as a student he confronted many elders too if they parked their vehicles on the wrong side. Such was his courage and this courage stems from pure Righteous attitude that has been an ornament in Sriramulu’s life.

B Sriramulu was the captain of the volley ball team and as a team they have participated in various tournaments at state level. Captaining a team is no easy job because it is his decision making abilities that makes it a winning team. Those were the days of foundation for his decision making skills which matured with age and today made him stand as a leader who responds.

He was very fond of cricket too. People of Bellary who know him since his childhood still speak about his days when he used to play a lot of cricket in various ground and like all children the famous ‘gully cricket’ too.

Early Career

Much to the astonishment of many who know him now as a minister, He started off his career as a business man. He is a very hard working man right from his teens. He then ventured into business with Ennobel Finance India Ltd. He was successful as a businessmen and his circle began spreading from various sections of the society.

During this phase he is inspired by Subhash Chandra Bose, Chandra Sekhar Azad, Swamy Vivekananda and other prominent Freedom Fighters. He is attracted to the social activities and help these great men have done to the people. Perhaps, it is at this juncture that he took a strong inclination towards politics.

Political Journey

Councillor

His political journey began as a councillor from Devi Nagar in the year 1996. As a councillor his vision was such that a vast majority of the people has stood by him. He rose as a leader for the masses catering to their every need in his capacity as councillor and even more as a human being with morals.

As a Councillor, he was instrumental in the ward development but in such standards that the whole of Bellary took notice of his accomplishments and people of every ward wished that he should become their councillor.

It is no wonder that people from his ward still say that he filled light in their lives. Street lights were another major contribution from B Sriramulu. Providing street lights is one issue but seeing to it that the lights are functioning is another issue. B Sriramulu used to inspect his ward at odd times like 2 am in the night to check whether they are all functioning. Such is the integrity of this Man.

Every ruler right from the days of the Emperor Ashoka were given a divine status because they treasured the importance of Greenery. The municipality of Bellary those days has taken a decision to cut off trees. B Sriramulu stood up against that motion and when he felt that injustice is being done in that matter, He resigned from the post much to the astonishment of many people. This incident speaks volumes about the nobility of this Man who always stuck to his ideals not power and positions.

B Sriramulu by now has made such an impact in the town of Bellary that a majority of people welcomed his decision when he filed the nomination for the MLA candidature in Bellary City Constituency. A peek into his political journey gives us an insight about the leader whose ‘will ‘ to succeed is a ‘mantra’ every common man has to develop irrespective of the fields they are in.

As MLA Nominee

The 1999 Lok Sabha elections saw the real emergence of B SriRamulu as a leader. As Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi battled it out against the BJP’s Sushma Swaraj for the Bellary Lok Sabha seat, SriRamulu emerged as Sushma Swaraj’s trusted local aide. All though Swaraj and Sriramulu (who contested the 1999 Assembly elections from Bellary city) lost in the elections, for Him, both the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections that year proved to be a crucial stepping stone. Under Sushma Swaraj’s guidance, Sriramulu, who is often called her adopted son, worked tirelessly to establish BJP’s hold in what was once a Congress bastion. The defeat never defeated the visionary in him. He was from the next moment on his path catering to the people leaving the defeat behind him. For him, People were everything not power. Here are a few instances which show his social service instincts.

The ‘Lorry Terminal’ Saga. Land grabbers who were omni powerful in those days with varied power sections backing them took control of the land belonging to the poor, B Sriramulu stood for these poor people and fought for their rights for three days continuously. Finally the Land Grabbers restored the land to the people. This incident shows that he was and is always an advocate of people’s problems.

The Canvassing Charm. B Sriramulu though lost in the elections gained popularity all over the state for the tough fight he put up in the 1999 elections. In the Bye-elections at Hunugunda, Sriramulu was the charming leader who canvassed for the campaign. His popularity was slowly spreading towards other parts of the district.

The First ever win. The year 2001 marked the red letter day for BJP in the Bellary municipality. Under the able leadership and guidance of B Sriramulu, BJP won its first ever municipal polls by a vast majority. Every candidate that Sriramulu recommended won and brought dignity to the party. This proves that the people of Bellary are making up for the mistake of not electing Sriramulu as the MLA in the 1999 elections.

From then on the people of Bellary started taking keen interest in the career moves of Sriramulu and the way he stood for his people.

MLA

2004 Elections; and the question for an able leader was hanging in the Bellary constituency. ‘Who else but B Sriramulu?’ was the slogan among the crowds and people of Bellary. As is envisioned by many, SriRamulu stood victorious in the elections.

A coalition government was formed by JDS-Congress even though BJP emerged as a single largest party with over 80 seats. B SriRamulu was in the opposition during that phase which lasted for 20 months. During this time He took the task of making Bellary a clean and green city and crime-free. Bellary started progressing and it was according to the surveys a city to watch out for in terms of Infrastructure and Development.

B Sriramulu is always a man for the masses and he never stopped functioning for them and in this process he always put his power and positions aside because for him ‘common man’ matters the most. It is this integrity that caused the party to win successively the Gram Panchayat, Taluk Panchayat, Zilla Panchayat, Nagara Sabhe, Pura Sabhe, Pattana Panchayat, MP and MLC elections in the Bellary district. The party created history under his leadership.

B Sriramulu always voted for justice and any injustice to his fellow human beings brings out the revolutionary in him. In an incident a common man died due to police firing. Sriramulu got enraged at this injustice and he took up a ‘Pada Yatre’ from Kolur to Bellary covering a distance of 20 kilometres and made it clear that the authorities were on the wrong side. Jagadish Shettar who was the then opposition leader of BJP also took part in this rally. This incident shows that B Sriramulu is a man who always stood by Truth and Justice.

B Sriramulu was gaining political strength during this phase but karnataka was becoming weak as far as power politics are concerned. Karnataka was in a political soup when JDS withdrew support from Government and entered into an alliance with BJP. Now a JDS-BJP coalition Government was formed with H D Kumaraswamy as CM and B S Yeddyurappa as Deputy CM. B sriRamulu was included in the cabinet as a minister for Tourism, Textile, Civil Aviation and Infrastructure. It is a notable fact that B Sriramulu became a minister for the first time immediately after winning the MLA elections for the first time. A first of many more achievements to come and this gift of ministerial position for him is given for having broken the power walls of Congress over Bellary for more than 55 years. This achievement is a major breakthrough for the party and from then on every election was won over by BJP candidates under his Guidance and support.

Tourism, Textile, Civil Aviation & Infrastructure Minister

B SriRamulu revolutionized the concept of Tourism in Karnataka. Many reforms were undertaken. He focused on hygiene, transport and state of the art accommodation facilities which really pave a way for a vast Tourist inflow.

The Fund for tourism allotted by the government in the budget increased from a mere 16 Crore rupees to more than 140 crores during his tenure.

Palace on Wheels – a luxurious train that is an epitome of rich cultural heritage of south India was started under his tenure.

A mind blowing caption ‘One State - many Worlds’ that reflects the diversity of Karnataka was unveiled by him and this caption became a brand caption for tourism.

Textile Minister

As Textile minister B Sriramulu was instrumental in the inception of Apparel parks and Training Centres at Bellary, Doddaballapura, Ilkal to name a few. This move gave way to the employment of over 50,000 employees.

Civil Aviation Minister

B Sriramulu initiated the boost of Civil Aviation under his expert guidance. He initiated the progress of the field by planning out a series of airports at Gulbarga, Bijapur and Gadag. He strived for Land Acquisition

The tourism and Infrastructure ministry which was earlier a side-tracked portfolio was given a freshness and strength by the Hon’ble Minister SriRamulu. Tourists started pouring in and the flow still continues.

Health & Family Welfare Minister

The pact between JDS and BJP (regarding the sharing of power for 20 months each with initially H D Kumaraswamy as the CM for the first 20 months and then B Yedyurappa for the next 20 months) was broken when Kumaraswamy refused to give the post of CM to BJP. This move shook the whole state and when BJP withdrew support, the state was subject to elections once again in May 2008 and this time BJP emerged a clear winner.

B SriRamulu was given the Health and Family Welfare ministry in the Government. Being a man from the BPL family and having seen the poor medical attention in rural areas as he was growing up, he strongly made a conviction to himself to revolutionize the health factor in the state and now turning that conviction into reality, the Health Minister B SriRamulu, in an effort to assist the Below Poverty Line families (BPL) has decided to introduce health insurance for treating the dreaded diseases by initiating VAJPAYEE AROGYA SREE. B Sriramulu experienced the woes of common people who live in rural areas where ambulances responding to emergency are a rarity. In order to facilitate the effective implementation of round the clock medical emergencies in cities as well as rural areas, the health minister B SriRamulu has envisioned and was instrumental in establishing 108 AROGYA KAVACHA.

B SriRamulu has revolutionized the field of Medicine and Health in Karnataka and it is going to be disease free for sure under his able leadership.

Charitable Organizations

The ‘Humanitarian’ aspect of SriRamulu can be seen in the charities he has started for lending a helping hand to the disabled.

1. G.RUKMINAMMA CHENGAREDDY OLDAGE HOME.

2. G.CHENGA REDDY SCHOOL FOR MENTAL RETARDED CHILDREN.

3. DISTRICT REHABITATION CENTER FOR THE HANDICAPPED.

Notes

http://www.bsriramulu.com/