A year ago, former minister Gali Janardhan Reddy at a press conference to dismiss charges of mining irregularities said: “We strongly believe in fate. None can change it. Nobody can change what is written in one’s fate.” When he said these words, little did he know that he would be arrested and put behind the bars within a month. Reddy was arrested by the CBI sleuths from his Kuteeram House in Bellary in the early hours on September 4, 2011. It’s almost a year now; Reddy is yet to come out the prison. Recently, Andhra Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) also arrested his brother G Somashekhara Reddy, an MLA for allegedly bribing a CBI judge to secure bail for Janardhan Reddy.
The rise and fall of Reddys is a legend in Karnataka. Sons of a police constable, who went onto become the king makers and controlled the government to dance to their tunes. All this in a span of ten years, makes their meteoric rise and fall even more interesting.
It all started when AICC president Sonia Gandhi decided to contest from Bellary Lok Sabha seat in 1999. The BJP pitted Opposition leader in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj against her. Then, B Sriramulu, a childhood friend of Janardhan Reddy was a BJP municipal council member and they actively campaigned for Sushma who eventually lost against Sonia. But, it helped Reddy brothers—Janardhan, Karunakara and Somashekhara to cement their positions in the Bellary BJP. It also said to have helped them to get the mining leases in the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
Janardhan Reddy along with his brothers laid his eyes on Obulapuram mines, when the global iron ore prices were on the rise, driven by the Chinese demand for the iron ore. It seems, that they had considered a perfect opportunity to amass wealth in short order.
Reddy brothers set up Obulapuram Mining Company in 2001 with Rs 10 lakh and by 2004, its turnover was Rs 35 crore and by 2009, it was Rs 3000 crore. It was in 2002, that they took 29.9 hectares of mines at Obulapuram in D Herehal Mandal of Anantapur district, bordering Bellary in Karantaka.
When, Y S Rajasekhara Reddy of Congress Party, formed the government in Andhra Pradesh in 2004, taking their good connections with him, Reddy Brothers through their company, managed to get lease of 68.5 hectares of land at Antargangamma Konda of Siddapuram and Malapanagudi Village and 39.4 hectares of Obulapuram village.
In 2004, Karunakara Reddy was elected as BJP Lok Sabha member from Bellary, while Sriramulu entered the Assembly.
Reddys were at peak of their political careers in 2008—their two brothers Karunakara and Somashekhara got elected to the Assembly while Janardhan was already a MLC.
Within a decade after entering politics, Reddy Brothers and their confidant Sriramulu played a pivotal role in bringing the first BJP government in the South.
As a reward Janardhan, Karunakara and Sriramulu were made Cabinet ministers. Absolute power combined with enormous wealth—that too acquired in a short span of time—was a deadly combination.
Soon Bellary became their fiefdom. Then chief minister B S Yeddyurappa almost danced to their tunes.
Bonhomie between Yeddyurappa and Reddys ended in 2009 when the latter raised the banner of revolt and took nearly 45 MLAs to a star hotel in Hyderabad. They failed in their mission seeking Yeddyurappa’s ouster, but ensured change of chief minister’s Principal Secretary and Shoba Karandlaje’s ouster from the ministry. District level officers transferred out of Bellary without their consent were reinstated.
Those developments brought to fore their control over Karnataka politics and bulldozing attitude of getting what they want. But in the long run, it did more harm to them. Yeddyurappa, who managed to save his government put the Reddys in trouble by changing terms of reference in Lokayukta probe into illegal mining in Bellary and other parts of the state.
Originally, the term of probe was from 2000 to 2008, it was extended upto 2010, to include alleged irregularities during the BJP rule, aimed to nail the Reddys.
That was the beginning of the end for the mining magnets. The central agency arrested Reddy on September 4, 2011. His supporters were shocked, but BJP considered it as a blessing in disguise. Reddys' have become liability to BJP that was fighting against scams and scandals involving UPA ministers.
While, Janardhan Reddy was cooling his heels in Hyderabad jail, his brothers and Sriramulu were fighting a battle for their political survival. Sriramulu left BJP to form his own outfit, while Karunakara and Somashekhara were totally sidelined in the ruling party. Karunakara Reddy, however, has distanced from his siblings and remaining aloof. Sriramulu, later won the Bellary byelection.
Even as Sriramulu was trying to retain Reddys' base in Bellary, ‘cash for bail’ scam came as a yet another blow to them. Somashekara was recently arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau in AP. Both the brothers, who once ruled the state are now spending time in the prison.
- Sunday Standard