Date:08/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/08/stories/2008100853230400.htm

Karnataka

Jalappa to retire from politics

Special Correspondent

R.L. Jalappa

CHICKBALLAPUR: Putting to rest speculations that he would join the Bharatiya Janata Party, senior Congress leader and Chickballapur MP R.L. Jalappa on Tuesday announced that he has decided to retire from politics.

Eighty-four-year-old Mr. Jalappa, who has been active in politics for over five decades, told presspersons here that he would not be contesting the elections to the Lok Sabha. “I have already conveyed my decision to the Congress high command,” he said.

Although he did not explain the reasons for his decision to retire, Mr. Jalappa said: “My eyesight is declining and I also have other problems.”

To a query, he said that because of certain reasons he did not attend the Congress convention held at his home town in Doddaballapur in Bangalore Rural district on Monday, where R.V. Deshpande and D.K. Shiva Kumar took over as President and Working President respectively of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).

Mr. Jalappa denied that he had abstained from the Congress rally because he was unhappy that former Deputy Chief Minister and fellow backward classes leader Siddaramaiah was not made the KPCC President. However, he did state that the Congress high command should provide a suitable position to Mr. Siddaramaiah.

“The Congress would suffer further if the leadership takes decisions wantonly,” he said.

According to sources close to Mr. Jalappa — who had served as Union Minister for Textiles and as Minister for Home, Revenue and Cooperation in the State — he would resign as MP after attending the next session of the Lok Sabha. After that, he would stay away from politics.

After his son J. Narasimha Swamy resigned as Doddaballapur MLA and joined the BJP a few weeks ago, political circles were agog with speculation that Mr. Jalappa, too, would join the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.