While B S Yediyurappa is credited with masterminding ‘Operation Lotus’ for the first time in the BJP ranks, to secure his government back in 2008, not many know
loyalties, and to resign to escape the anti-defection law, before being re-elected and finding a place in government – a modus operandi the BJP would go on to copy in the state and elsewhere.
The youngest of the three sons of a police constable, Janardhan Reddy was by then a mining baron and among the most influential politicians in the state, known to run the ‘Republic of Ballari (then known as Bellary)’ with an iron hand with his two brothers.
Ballari residents would talk of the Reddy brothers, including G Karunakara Reddy and G Somashekara Reddy, even going after small fries who tried to earn some money by collecting iron ore that fell off their overloaded trucks.
It was only in the early 2000s that the Reddys entered the mining business, taking over the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC). The move proved fortuitous, with an Olympics-fuelled construction boom in China surging the demand for iron ore. The Reddys gathered a big fortune in a small time, and soon Janardhan Reddy was throwing his weight about, even taking on Yediyurappa at one point.
Before that, with close friend B Sriramulu (now Karnataka Transport Minister), Janardhan earned his political stripes by steering the campaign of the late Union minister Sushma Swaraj against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in Bellary in 1999. Rumours of the money they raised for the prestige fight spread far and wide, with the brothers photographed kneeling at Swaraj’s feet.
In 2006, under a JD(S)-BJP government, Janardhan became a member of the Legislative Council. Two years later, Sriramulu, and the other two Reddy brothers were elected to the Assembly after the coalition government collapsed and the BJP came back to power again. A leader close to Janardhan recalls the role he played in convincing legislators to cross over, including meeting them personally to give assurances.
Soon after, Janardhan’s fall from grace began. While sources blame one-upmanship between him and Yediyurappa, a scathing Lokayukta report on a mining scam in the state hastened the departure of Janardhan from active politics. The two mining companies mentioned prominently in the report were the OMC and the Associated Mining Company, in which the Reddys had a stake. OMC was accused of under invoicing and evasion of taxes, and the Reddys of extortion and of threatening officials. A chargesheet was also filed against Somashekara.
Janardhan was arrested four times, thrice in connection with the illegal mining case, and was in jail for three-and-a-half years till January 2015. While granting him bail, the Supreme Court prohibited his entry into Ballari, as well as Anantapur and Kadapa in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. He was arrested again in November 2015 by the Special Investigation Team of Lokayukta. His most recent arrest was related to a multi-crore ponzi scam case in 2018.
In connection with cash-for-bail allegations after Janardhan’s first arrest, Karunakara was arrested while Sriramulu’s role came under the scanner.
