With talks of political comeback, Janardhana Reddy makes BJP anxious

The backseat drivers of the 2008 BJP government of BS Yediyurappa were the mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy and his brothers, and Reddy’s close friend B Sriramulu. Now, it seems, Reddy is adding to the headaches of Karnataka BJP, which is already battling a leadership crisis, scams and anti-incumbency ahead of the 2023 Assembly election.

Reddy recently spoke about his party ‘backstabbing’ him,  and said he would take the “next step soon”. This raised many questions for the BJP. It is also said that Reddy and Sriramulu are trying to strengthen the YSR Congress, or re-launching the BSR Congress in the state. 

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This has left the BJP guessing their moves and the party has initiated dialogues with the Reddy brothers and Sriramulu, party sources said. “It could be pressure tactics from the Reddy brothers,” they added.

Out of politics for over a decade

Reddy has been out of state politics for around 12 years, since his arrest by the CBI in an illegal mining case. He, however, supported Sriramulu to launch the BSR Congress (Badavara Shramikara Raitara Congress), which was one of the reasons for the defeat of the BJP in the 2013 elections. 

Moreover, when he was released on bail by the Supreme Court in 2015, he was kept out of politics by the BJP except that his brothers Gali Somashekhara Reddy and Gali Karunakara Reddy became MLAs from Bellary city and Harapanahalli constituencies, respectively, in Bellary district.

Janardhana Reddy was banned from entering Bellary district due to his alleged involvement in the illegal mining case. Recently, though, the court allowed him to be in Bellary till November 6 (Saturday).

Plans for a comeback

According to sources, Janardhana Reddy, once the person behind the BJP’s MLA-poaching ‘Operation Lotus’ in Karnataka, which gave the party a stronghold in the South, is planning a political comeback. He either wants to be recognised by the BJP or make a foray of his own. The latter may involve relaunching Sriramulu’s BSR Congress or helping his friend YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. 

YSR Congress wants to expand beyond state boundaries and establish a base in Karnataka, that too in the Hyderabad-Karnataka area (now the Kittur-Karnataka region).

Sriramulu, who is a minister in the Karnataka government, recently embarrassed the BJP by holding a dharna demanding the restoration of a damaged pillar of a bridge across River Vedavathi in Bellary.

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Janardhana Reddy also expressed his unhappiness with the BJP recently. Though he did not make any direct allegation against the party, he recalled the “backstabbing” by party leaders.

Politically loaded statement

While inaugurating a cricket tournament, he said the Congress has every right to criticise him as it is a rival party, bu the BJP shouldn’t do that. He also stated that he will go to Bengaluru, but stay in touch with the people of Bellary. “Soon, I will be deciding my next step,” he categorically stated.

He has hinted about moving away from the BJP and becoming ‘secular’. He also said that Hindus and Muslims live like brothers in Bellary. He was answering a question related to his brother MLA Somashekhar Reddy’s statement against Muslims years ago.  Somashekhar has realised the mistake and apologised, he added.

Secret meeting with Sriramulu

Meanwhile, sources said that Janardhana Reddy and Sriramulu had a secret meeting and they might launch a new party. Sriramulu, who has grown in Bellary as a strong Nayak leader of the Valmiki community (ST), was an aspirant for the deputy CM post in the BJP government, a dream that did not come true. He has a good following in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region. His BSR Congress won three seats in 2013, and later merged with the BJP.

The influential Reddy brothers and Sriramulu, who once helped the BJP sweep eight Assembly seats out of nine in Bellary district, are said to be looking at helping the YSR Congress expand in the state instead of launching a new party.

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Interestingly, both the BSR Congress and Yediyurappa’s Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP), which won 6 seats, brought the BJP down to 40 MLAs in 2013. Later, both parties merged again with the BJP, which became the single-largest party in the Assembly elections in 2018. 

Now, with BSY out of power and the Reddy brothers thinking of parting ways with the party, the BJP could be facing a leadership crisis.