Reddy versus Reddy fight plays out in K'taka Assembly

Belagavi: In a nasty spat, Gangavathi MLA G Janardhan Reddy and Bellary City MLA Nara Bharath Reddy browbeat each other in the singular during the Assembly session on Tuesday.

While speaking on North Karnataka, Janardhan - the mining baron who runs his own Kalyana Rajya Pragati Paksha - said Ballari had not seen development in the last 13 years.

When Congress' Bharath spoke, he accused Bramhani Steels (linked to Janardhan) of "snatching" 10,000-14,000 acres of farmers' lands. He also claimed that land for the Ballari airport was earmarked expressly to hike prices of land owned by Janardhan's friends and family without taking his name.

"You said Ballari hasn't seen development for 13 years. You looted Ballari. Come and see Ballari now," Bharath said, lambasting Janardhan for "being unfit" to be in the Assembly.

Janardhan clarified that there is "not even an inch" of land belonging to him or his friends/family near the Ballari airport. Bharath said Janardhan has "benaami" lands. To this, Janardhan said: "All eight cases against me have been dismissed."

What intensified their fight was this comment from Janardhan: "He (Bharath) doesn't have brains." Bharath vowed to expose Janardhan in the Assembly. "You cheated our mother state. You merged the border district with Andhra Pradesh," Bharath charged.

Earlier in the day, Janardhan said Ballari was so backward that people hesitated to even visit it. "After the (BJP) government came in 2008, hundreds of crores were spent on four-lane roads, super-specialty hospital, land acquisition for an airport and other works. Unfortunately, my businesses were wrongly projected and I was trapped in cases. For 13 years, one can check the records, no works have happened but for those that took place back then. This is what people feel," Janardhan said.

Janardhan cited the example of how the Ballari airport is still incomplete after four governments. He also claimed to have played an instrumental role in levying a 6 per cent forest development tax, which he said was upheld by the Supreme Court last year. "In 13 years, after all the resistance by mine owners, Rs 24,000 crore has been collected," he said.

When Sandur Congress MLA E Tukaram took exception, he and Janardhan hit out at each other in the singular.

Accused in the multi-million illegal mining case, Janardhan is barred from entering Ballari. That is why he contested the recent Assembly election from Gangavathi in Koppal.