Mining baron Janardhana Reddy to rejoin BJP

Mining baron and lone MLA of Karnataka Rajya Pragathi Paksha (KRPP), G Janardhana Reddy, on Sunday said he would rejoin BJP on March 25.

Bengaluru: Mining scam accused and chief of the Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha (KRPP) G Janardhana Reddy on Sunday said he is rejoining the BJP, a development that may boost the prospects of the saffron party in about four constituencies where the controversial leader holds some clout.

The mining baron was a fixture of Karnataka’s political scene when B S Yediyurappa first became the CM and was known for his ostentatious lifestyle when the going was good. He was arrested in 2011 by the CBI in connection with illegal iron ore mining in Ballari and Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh.

Though he secured bail in 2015, the SC has prohibited his entry into Ballari district.

“I am elated to announce that tomorrow I am back to my mother’s lap. My association with the BJP started during the Ramjanmabhoomi movement, when I was just 21 and have come a long way since then,” said a beaming Reddy after holding parleys with party leaders at his residence.

His residence in Bengaluru witnessed a stream of visitors, including BJP leader Govind Karjol, throughout the day.

Reddy wields some influence in Chitradurga, Koppal, Ballari and Raichur, which could come in handy for the BJP in tight contests.

“I will be rejoining along with my supporters from Chitradurga, Koppal, Ballari, Raichur, Vijanagara and Kalaburagi districts at 10 am at the BJP state headquarters,” he said, refusing to divulge details about merging his party with BJP. 

Reddy said Bellary BJP candidate B Sreeramulu was “raised in our house”, (BJP veteran) Yediyurappa was like a “father figure to him” and the BJP was no less than a mother”.

Responding to a question on his recent decision to vote in favour of the Congress candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections, Reddy said: “I never said that I voted for the Congress. I only said I voted in accordance with my conscience. It was the media’s perception that I voted for the Congress. Love for the BJP flows in every drop of my blood. I was always with the BJP and PM Modi.” Despite facing numerous allegations and cases, Reddy remains a popular figure in the state. 

Reddy along with Sriramulu and his two brothers came to limelight during the 1999 Lok Sabha elections when former Congress president Sonia Gandhi filed her nomination from the Bellary seat; BJP leader late Sushma Swaraj threw her hat in the ring to challenge her. Although Swaraj lost, Reddy’s stock rose in the BJP and he played a crucial role in forming the BJP’s first-ever government in the state in 2006.

But the coalition government of the BJP and the JD(S) ran into trouble soon and Reddy was suspended from the party for taking on H D Kumaraswamy.

In 2008, when the BJP under Yediyurappa came to power on its own by winning 110 seats, the Reddy brothers played a crucial role in bringing over a dozen MLAs to the party by way of ‘Operation Lotus’.

Soon after, the brothers’ mining operations in Ballari saw exponential growth. Reddy’s reign came to a halt after the Karnataka Lokayukta found him guilty of illegal mining in the state.