Mining magnate and former Karnataka tourism minister G Janardhana Reddy has a Rolls Royce Phantom in his garage. And that?s only one of his myriad toys on wheels. But, on Monday morning?before the sun rose?CBI officials swooped down on his luxurious Bellary home and pushed him into a much more modest Toyota Innova.
The destination was Hyderabad?a good 500 km away?where he was produced at a Hyderabad court and then later sent to Chanchalguda jail, which houses another infamous personality, Satyam founder Ramalinga Raju.
Reddy, easily the most fleet-footed of Karnataka?s politicians, who often heli-hops between Bangalore and Bellary, has been temporarily grounded, with the CBI exiting the ?fortress? after seizing 30 kg of gold and R1.3 crore in cash. Karnataka BJP president KS Eswarappa saw a ?Congress shadow? over the CBI, and Bellary, where the Reddys still enjoy great popularity, declared a bandh on Tuesday.
It isn?t clear in what connection the R3 crore cash and 30 kg gold were seized, but Reddy has been associated with figures far greater than that over the past few years. He had earlier gifted a diamond studded crown, said to be valued at over R40 crore, to the Tirupati temple two years ago. This has probably put into shade the offerings made to the deity by 15th century Vijayanagara kings.
Reddy?s arrest on Monday comes amidst a string of legal proceedings against prominent Karnataka politicians over the past month.
Last week, former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa appeared before a Bangalore court, hearing a private complaint against him, while his predecessor Kumaraswamy too faces a summons by the same court. Both of them are fighting private complaints pertaining to alleged illegalities in land de-notification and allotment.
The timing of Reddy?s arrest also seems to have come at a particularly inconvenient moment for the mining brothers, just a day after the Reddys? close associate B Sriramulu decided to resign as MLA. The move is seen as an attempt to put pressure on the BJP, which has kept the Reddys out of the new Cabinet. Over the past week, the buzz in Bellary has been that Sriramulu may quit the BJP and start a regional outfit with the backing of the Reddys and the Valmiki Nayaka community, from where he hails from.
The real impact on the Reddys? grip on Karnataka?s politics and the ruling BJP remains to be seen. BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, who is known to be close to the Reddy brothers, may not be able to help them out this time. Looks like the Reddys have to get ready to pay a big price.
ajay.sukumaran@expressindia.com