LS polls: BJP brings back mining baron Reddy in Karnataka; will it help?

After shunning him for long, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has re-admitted controversial mining baron Janardhana Reddy in Karnataka in a clear admission of the Lok Sabha challenge it faces in the state from a rejuvenated Congress.

Reddy, who was once accused of bending rules at will to make it big in mining and got embroiled in numerous cases, on Monday merged his Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha (KRPP), floated a year ago, with the BJP.

His wife Aruna Lakshmi and some family members also joined the party in the presence of BJP stalwart and former chief minister BS Yediyurappa.

Reddy’s past

Reddy was a Cabinet minister in the BJP government led by Yediyurappa before he was arrested and sent to prison in a huge mining scam.

The powerful politician admitted in as many words that he acted after being summoned earlier for a meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.

Compared to 2013, when corruption charges associated with Reddy became the main election plank, the BJP hailed his return as an indication of better times for the party that lost power in Karnataka last year.

Eye on Kalyana Karnataka

The BJP defended Reddy's homecoming.

“Reddy’s return will strengthen the BJP in the Kalyana Karnataka region. He is joining the party to ensure that the BJP-JD(S) alliance wins all the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state,” said BJP Karnataka president BY Vijayendra, son of Yediyurappa.

BJP leaders believe that Reddy can help the saffron party in Bellary, Chitradurga, Koppal, and Raichur Lok Sabha constituencies.

Changed circumstances

The BJP swept 25 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka in 2019 but knows it faces a formidable challenge from the now ruling Congress. The BJP has already allied with the Janata Dal (Secular) but is looking at everyone who can help mop up more votes in the general election. This is why, BJP sources say, Reddy has been reclaimed.

Reddy formally quit the BJP in December 2022, ahead of last year’s Assembly elections, although he had moved away from the party more than a decade earlier after legal issues related to mining impacted his political career.

Until then, the Reddy brothers were considered the kings of illegal mining in Bellary, the district with the country’s best iron ore deposits.

Activists unhappy

Activists and NGOs expressed disgust over the BJP’s decision to readmit Janardhana Reddy and his family.

The National Committee for Protection of Natural Resources (NCPNR) has fought against illegal mining in Karnataka.

SR Hiremath, a founder president of the Samaja Parivarthana Samudya (SPS) and the NCPNR, targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Reddy affair.

Modi criticised

Hiremath said: “Modiji claims that the BJP is committed to and capable of taking tough steps to rid the country of corruption. (But) he is legalising corruption by admitting people such as Janardhana Reddy.”

Hiremath moaned that although there were over 20 cases against Reddy, their hearing in courts was moving at a snail's pace.

The Congress, which had taken Reddy’s support during the recent Rajya Sabha elections, also targeted the BJP for taking him back into its fold.

What Congress did

Home Minister G Parameshwar accused the mining baron of merging his party with the BJP “to come out clean” from the pending mining cases against him.

Hiremath did not spare the Congress either over Reddy.

“In 2013, the Congress rode to power promising to end illegal mining in Karnataka. Siddaramaiah emerged as the Congress chief ministerial candidate by undertaking a 315-km padayatra from Bengaluru to Bellary in 2010. But the Congress did not hesitate to take Janardhana Reddy’s help during the Rajya Sabha battle in Karnataka,” he said.

When Sonia was left 'bruised'

In 1999, Reddy hogged the limelight by supporting BJP’s Sushma Swaraj against then Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in the Lok Sabha battle. Although Sushma Swaraj lost, Sonia Gandhi was left bruised after the victory.

In 2011, the Lokayukta of Karnataka, Santosh Hegde, submitted a report to the Karnataka government on the illegal mining activities in Bellary region. Reddy was accused of rigging iron ore mining in Bellary and cheating the government.

Reddy factor

Reddy also faced flak as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) accused the family of bribing a judge in Hyderabad to secure bail in a mining case.

Despite the sordid past, Reddy has emerged against a political heavyweight in Karnataka, the only state in southern India considered a BJP stronghold.

A Congress leader told The Federal on condition of anonymity: “In a country where bending rules to earn a quick buck is a given fact, Janardhana Reddy is a master.”