Second Valmiki statue at junction in Ballari: Old rivalry comes full circle

Hubballi: Wrapped in plastic covers, a 10-foot-tall statue of Maharshi Valmiki sits at SP Circle, one of the busiest junctions in Ballari.

Uncertainty now looms over its inauguration after violence erupted two days before the scheduled event on January 3, including stone-pelting, firing of bullets in the air and the death of a Congress worker.

Had it been inaugurated, this would have been the second Valmiki statue at the junction.

The earlier one, installed over a decade ago, is identified with BJP — particularly former minister B Sriramulu — as it stands in front of his office.

Bellary city Congress MLA Nara Bharath Reddy proposed a larger, grander statue of “Valmiki ajja” at the widened and redeveloped junction, seeking to establish it as a Congress landmark.

Appropriation of Valmiki is politically significant in Ballari, where nearly 55% of the population belongs to Scheduled Tribes and electoral fortunes often hinge on this community’s support.

Political observers say the statue inauguration was one of the strategies adopted by Bharath Reddy to achieve multiple objectives: consolidate ST support, further marginalise the defeated Sriramulu (who projects himself as a key ST leader in the region) and improve his chances of securing a ministerial berth following Bellary (Rural) MLA B Nagendra’s resignation over alleged misappropriation of funds in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited.

However, experts say the January 1 incident, in which gunshots were fired at the residence of mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy, has badly boomeranged on Bharath Reddy and the Congress.

BJP leaders now have an emotive plank to target the Congress, citing the incident and the police’s failure to prevent escalation as evidence of the government’s inability to maintain law and order.

The January 1 incident has revived memories of what former Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde once described as the “Republic of Ballari,” marked by lawlessness and large-scale illegal mining.

“The installation of banners and the proposed inauguration of the Valmiki statue were merely a smokescreen. Political one-upmanship was the real objective,” says senior journalist Ahiraj.

“Bharath wanted to project himself as one of the most influential leaders in Ballari and rub salt into the wounds of Sriramulu, who has lost the last three elections. By his immature handling of the situation, he however played into the hands of the BJP,” he says.

Ahiraj recalled that the Nara family — Bharath and his father Suryanarayan — and the Reddy brothers — Janardhan, Karunakar and Somashekar along with Sriramulu — have been at loggerheads for over two decades.

“They have openly traded barbs even on the floor of the Assembly. That animosity is now spilling onto the streets of Ballari,” Ahiraj says.

Political observers say the rivalry extends beyond top leaders to their aides and followers.

Two months ago, Janardhan Reddy’s close associate Ali Khan and Bharath Reddy’s aide Satish Reddy were involved in a bitter dispute over tenders and contract settlements, triggering clashes and police cases against both. Since 2000, the two sides have repeatedly confronted each other.

“While the Reddy brothers once pushed the Nara family into political irrelevance during the peak of the ‘Republic of Ballari,’ the return of a Congress government has emboldened Bharath to settle scores with Janardhan Reddy, who was recently allowed by the Supreme Court to enter Ballari,” said another senior journalist.

Multiple Congress sources told DH that the January 1 incident had severely dented Bharath Reddy’s prospects.

During recent visits by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar to the district, Bharath was reportedly kept at a distance.

“The chief minister was furious and reprimanded him. Except for Kampli MLA Ganesh J N, none of the Congress MLAs or the Bellary MP is fully backing Bharath,” a party insider said.

Observers believe the incident has brought Sriramulu and Janardhan Reddy closer. Until recently, Sriramulu had blamed Janardhan Reddy for his defeats in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. BJP leaders now say the episode has united them.

“By firing bullets at Janardhan Reddy’s house, the Congress has handed him an opportunity to emotionally connect with people. Even those critical of his past are now sympathising with him,” a BJP leader said.

“The death of Rajashekar Reddy, an ST, in the incident has angered sections of the community”.