Politics and Corruption go hand in hand

The much maligned CBI has gone into action, read raids and arrests, once again in the BJP ruled state of Karnataka. Bellary has been in the news for a long time for all wrong reasons and the hero of this morning’s story is one Janardhan Reddy, a former minister in the BJP government. At about 5AM a ten-member CBI team raided Reddy’s house in Bellary, seized some documents and arrested the powerful politician before heading for Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh.CBI proposes to produce Janardhan Reddy before the CBI judge and ask for a remand for further investigation. The case is that of fraud and cheating.

BACKGROUND OF CASE

Bellary is rich in iron ore that is mined there on a big scale. Janardhan Reddy, a son of a Head Constable of Bellary district, initially started his career in chit fund financing but graduated to the Mining business as he saw a great opening there. He read the writing on the wall and chose to join politics. He befriended politicians of all shades and hues and made large donations to both the BJP and the Congress parties. Generally speaking, those who change horses midstream have a fall and drown. Our hero proved to be an exception.

Iron Ore is in great demand and is in short supply all over the world. The nations competing for the super power status make steel based armaments and big ocean going ships. China

Is on the way to becoming a super power and paid exorbitant price for iron ores. What a God-send opportunity it was for the enterprising Reddy brothers, Janardhan and his cousin,

Srinivas Reddy They bought iron ore at a dirt=cheap price from the govt of Karnataka, where he had a clout as a minister and sold it to China at a fabulous price. The Reddy brothers were rolling in riches thereafter. It is said that Reddy brothers had played a major role in bringing BJP to power in Karnataka, the first South-Indian state where BJP made a debut. Not only this, when they were ignored by party bigwigs, they walked away with 35 MLAs and travelled to Andhra Pradesh to show their muscle power in Karnataka. They returned to the parent fold on their own terms and thereafter their political power did not know any limits. It is rumoured that they were not only the power behind the throne but also king makers. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Allegedly the corrupted Reddy brothers corrupted many politicians, what to say of bureaucrats. MLAs of three neighbouring districts around Bellary were at the beck and call of Reddy brothers. Andhra government, although ruled by the Congress party under the chief ministership of late Y. Samuel Rajshekhar Reddy, was equally enamoured of Reddy brothers of Bellary mining fame. Money money and money –it played an all powerful role across the state borders and both YSR of Andhra and Yeddy of Karnataka kept Reddy brothers in good humour.

STATE LOOTED

The state of Karnataka was the only loser in this game of money and politics. Corruption and lure of lucre blinded one and all in the political oligarchy. The government of Karnataka and its officials, under the inducement, threat or coercion did not raise the price of iron ore being mined exclusively by Reddy brothers. It was a fraud grand style that aimed at cheating own government and the state. The conspirators had built a political lobby that was so strong that a dissenting minister or bureaucrat had to pay a heavy price by being shunted out or being sidelined. Thus the critics were silenced. The Fourth Estate did bring up the grand fraud and cheating to the notice of all concerned but their feeble sound of a piccolo was effectively drowned by drum beats of powerful conspirators.

The political scenario underwent a change. Yeddy lost chief ministership of Karnataka. Gaur, his successor, prudently dropped Janardhan Reddy from the new list of ministers sworn in Reddy issued a veiled threat to pull down the new government but it was just an empty vessel making much noise. Shorn of power and state patronage, Reddy brothers knew that a storm was building up in the distant horizon. How true their sixth sense was. In the wee hours of morning on 5th Sept, 2011-09-05, there was a knock at their door of the palatial house in Bellary. The CBI raid had begun in his different houses, offices in different towns and investigating officers asked the ex-minister just a few questions. Lo and behold! Janardhan Reddy was under arrest and being transported by road to Hyderabad for further legal proceedings.

What a fall it was, my countrymen!

By Chitranjan Sawant