'Let there be survey'

 Speaking to the media on Wednesday, he said that he and his brothers never opposed the survey of mining areas. In fact, he said, it was the Revenue Department held by his brother Karunakara Reddy, which wrote to the Centre asking for the survey in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh boundary. The letter written to the Centre was released to the media during the Belgaum Legislature session itself, he said.

Replying to a query on the State government’s decision to withdraw cases in which he was accused, Janardhana Reddy said that the Cabinet enjoyed the discretion to withdraw cases. Only those who did not understand this would oppose the decision. He also alleged that media was giving undue importance to the movement of Bellary ministers. “If we stay put in Bellary you (media) comment that we are away from Vidhana Soudha. If we come to Vidhana Soudha you speculate that we have come here to pressurise the CM. And, if a few MLAs join us for lunch or dinner, you term it as a secret meeting,” he said.

Asked whether he and his brothers would not brew any trouble for the Yeddyurappa government in the next four years, he replied, “ We and Yeddyurappa will be ruling the State for next forty years.” Commenting on Congress leader Diwakar Babu’s hunger protest in Bangalore, Reddy said that Babu had no place in Bellary politics.