BENGALURU: Mandya independent MP Sumalatha Ambareesh officially joined the BJP on Friday in the presence of several senior leaders, including former chief minister BS Yediyurappa. Expressing the reasons for her decision to join the ruling party, Sumalatha said, “I have seen Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his vision very closely. He is my inspiration, and it’s because of him that I realised joining BJP was better.”
Sumalatha, who spoke to the media after joining the party, said that five years ago, the people of Mandya had supported her, leading to an historic victory. “I am indebted to the people of Mandya, Ambareesh’s fans and also the BJP, which extended its support to me externally. I was an outsider to the party then, and even then PM Modi, who had come to the Old Mysuru region, sought votes on my behalf, which I can never forget.”
Recalling her late husband Ambareesh’s association with the Congress, Sumalatha said the late actor was with the Grand Old Party for many years. She said she was not into politics then, but had seen the Congress from outside. “But ever since I became MP, attending the sessions and other programmes, I have seen and heard Modi’s works and speeches closely,” she said.
Sumalatha added that she has learnt many things from Modi’s vision. “I also received guidance from many BJP leaders, including from Karnataka. I got inspired by Modi, which is why I felt I should join the party,” she reiterated.
Further, Sumalatha said that Modi envisions ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047. “We all should join hands together to make his dream come true. For me, my political career is not important, but my nation. I am happy and proud to join the party,” she added.
Speaking about state leaders, Sumalatha said when Yediyurappa became CM in 2019, he had convened a meeting in New Delhi. “Yediyurappa was keen on developing Mandya. I had requested him to reopen the MySugar factory in Mandya, and he initiated the process. Later, during Basavaraj Bommai’s rule, Rs 50 crore was allotted for reopening the unit, and today, others are falsely taking the credit. The BJP government had inaugurated it first, and later the Congress government inaugurated it again and took credit. This is not right,” she expressed.
