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G. Janardhana Reddy

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This is a Telugu name; the family name is Gali.

Gali Janardhana Reddy
Member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office
13 May 2023
Preceded byParanna Munavalli
ConstituencyGangawati
Minister of Tourism Department and Infrastructure Development of Karnataka
In office
30 May 2008 – 3 August 2011
Preceded byB Sriramulu
Succeeded byAnand Singh
ConstituencyBallari
Member of Karnataka Legislative Council
In office
18 June 2006 – May 2011
ConstituencyKarnataka Legislative Council
Personal details
Born (1967-01-11) 11 January 1967 (age 57)
Ballari, Karnataka, Mysuru State (present-day Karnataka), India
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party
Children2
Relatives
OccupationBusinessman (GJR Group CMD)
WebsiteWebsite

Gali Janardhana Reddy (born 11 January 1967) is an Indian politician and businessman[1][2] who has been serving as a Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from the Gangawati Assembly constituency since 13 May 2023 being associated with the Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha. He rejoined Bharatiya Janata Party on 25 March 2024.

Early life and education

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Reddy was born on 11 January 1967. He has two brothers, G. Karunakara Reddy and G. Somashekara Reddy, and an elder sister, Rajeswari. He and his siblings were born in Bellary, Karnataka to Rukminamma and Chenga Reddy, a police constable.[3]

Janardhana Reddy has a pre-university college education.

Career

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Reddy is an entrepreneur and a politician and owns a company of gold.

As an Entrepreneur

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At the age of 21, Reddy established a residuary non-banking finance company called, Ennoble India Savings & Investment Company Limited, under the RBI in 1989. Across South India, the company had a total of 125 branches with a turnover of 350 crores. While the company was still functioning, it has stopped collecting deposits from 2003. He surrendered the Certificate of Registration to the RBI[4][5] as the RBI stated in an advertisement made on the national news paper The Hindu that "M/s Ennoble India Savings and Investment Co.Ltd., having its Registered Office at 6(4), Raghavachari Road, Opposite Radhika Theatre, Bellary -583 101, has violated various provisions of Reserve Bank of India’s Directions relating to acceptance of deposits, investment in approved securities and submission of stipulated returns to the Bank. The financial position of the Company is not satisfactory and its Net Owned Fund has turned negative. The bank has, therefore, prohibited the Company with effect from October 05, 1998 from accepting deposits from any person including the existing depositors /certificate holders, in any form whether by way of subscriptions / instalments to any scheme conducted by the Company or by way of renewal of deposit or otherwise." In 2001, he took over Obulapuram Mining Company (OMCPL) which had an iron-ore mining lease. Allegedly, his political clout helped him to get the iron-ore mining license in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh in 2004. The government of Andhra Pradesh allocated 10760 acres of land for the project. However, the project didn't take off and the land allotted was canceled in 2013.[6]

As a politician

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Reddy came into political spotlight during the 1999 Lok Sabha elections when the Reddy brothers were working as part of Sushma Swaraj's campaign. At the time, Swaraj had been competing as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate in Bellary against Sonia Gandhi, who belonged to the Indian National Congress, to become the MP. Although Swaraj was unsuccessful, she remained a patron of the Reddys and was known to visit Bellary frequently. After the Reddy brothers were charged[1] during the mining scandal, Swaraj distanced herself from them. The allegations against Reddy brought a bad reputation for the BJP in Karnataka and exposed opportunistic politics in the state.[7]

In 2006, due to the BJP - Janta Dal (Secular) (JDS) coalition government and the efforts of Reddy, B. Sriramulu was made a Cabinet Minister. In 2006, Reddy was made a Member of the Legislative Council to recognize his active role in increasing the BJP presence in Bellary.[8] However, in later years, Reddy fought with Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy, and made allegations, and provided evidence of corruption, resulting in his suspension.

However, H. D. Kumaraswamy did not hand over the government to B. S. Yeddyurappa at the required time. The State President of the party at the time, D. V. Sadananda Gowda and B. S. Yeddyurappa revoked Reddy’s suspension who then campaigned alongside Yeddyurappa for BJP during the Assembly Elections of 2008. Aided by Reddy’s efforts, BJP emerged as the single largest party with 110 seats and with the support of 5 independent MLA’s, BJP formed a government in South India for the first time on its own.

Reddy was then inducted as the Minister for Tourism and Infrastructure and the Minister in-charge of the Bellary district,[9] setting many developmental milestones for the state and for Bellary during this period.[10][11] In spite of allegations made against Reddy and his period of judicial custody, Reddy remains a popular politician which was witnessed by the state on 29 January 2017[12][13] when Reddy received a standing ovation from a large crowd at the HemaVema function in the palace grounds in Bangalore. Reddy did not contest the Karnataka assembly polls in 2018; however, his brothers, Sriramulu and four other candidates close to Reddy received a BJP ticket.

On 25 December 2022, Reddy quit BJP and soon announced the launching of a new political outfit called "Kalyana Rajya Pragati Paksha".[14][15]

In the May 2023 Legislative assembly elections for Karnataka, Reddy made a remarkable comeback to active politics by winning the Gangavathi assembly segment contesting on the Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Party ticket.

On March 25, 2024 he merged his party, Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Party, into the BJP before the 2024 Indian General Election.[16][17]

Social service

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Reddy runs a school for mentally disabled children since 1997 and an old age home from 2004 with his own funds.[18]

Controversies

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Over the years, Reddy has been involved in many controversies.

Operation Kamala

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This section is an excerpt from Operation Kamala § lead section.[edit]
Operation Kamala, also known as Operation Lotus is a term coined in 2008, when India's former minister G. Janardhana Reddy in the state of Karnataka, used various strategies, including persuasion and financial incentives to secure support from legislators bypassing the anti-defection law, so as to take the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) past the majority number.[19][20][21][22][23] Operation Lotus refers to "poaching" or "bribing" of MLAs and MPs of other parties by the BJP, mainly of their rival the Indian National Congress party (INC), often to form government in states where they do not have the majority.[24]

Illegal Mining

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In July 2011, the Lokayukta of Karnataka, Santosh Hegde, published a report on the illegal mining activities in the Bellary region. Reddy was accused of completely rigging iron ore mining in this area and defrauding the government. Directorate General of Income Tax Investigation officials had clues to tax evasion and found that Reddy had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with a one-dollar company in Singapore to camouflage the company's income suppression. They raided the place along with other investigative agencies and formed a report which served as the basis of the report on illegal mining. Reddy is said to have designed a "Zero-Risk system" of iron ore mining, where he seamlessly provided protection to unauthorized and unaccounted mining, with active connivance from government officials at all levels. The rule of the iron ore mafia under his command was called the "Republic of Bellary" in which no external control or governance mechanism had any effect.[25][26]

Bribery

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The CBI is investigating the alleged bribing of the Hyderabad Special Court judge T. Pattabhirama Rao by Reddy's family members (G.Somashekar Reddy & H.Suresh Babu) in order to secure his bail in the Obulapuram Mining Company case. Further investigations by CBI implicated others, including a retired judge T.V. Chalapathi Rao, in the "Cash for Bail" scandal.[27] The IT department issued notices and Reddy provided an explanation to the department but these explanations were rejected by the CIT Appeals. He preferred to appeal in all the matters before the Hon'ble ITAT and the Hon'ble Tribunal has allowed all appeals in his favour by dismissing the stand taken by the IT department.[28][29]

Daughter's Wedding

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Reddy was criticised over the lavish wedding of his daughter, Brahmani, which was held in Palace Grounds, Bangalore. He allegedly spent 500 crores ($71 million) for his daughter's wedding. Brahmani married a 23-year-old MBA graduate who hails from a family operating gold mines in South Africa, Tanzania and granite marble businesses in Turkey.[30][31][32][33]

Arrest

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Reddy was arrested on 5 September 2011 by the CBI, and taken to Hyderabad, Telangana.[34] He is accused of involvement in illegal mining of iron ore in Bellary in Karnataka and Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh. This investigation is the culmination of a recommendation to the Income Tax Department and CBI by the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister K. Rosaiah and is not directly related to the findings of Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde.[35] Once the CBI Court heard the lawyers' representations, he along with his brother-in-law, B. V. Srinivas Reddy, was remanded to judicial custody and sent to Chanchalguda Central Jail.[36] The CBI also arrested senior officers of the IAS and IRS during ongoing investigations.[37][38][39] On 4 August 2012, a CBI court extended the judicial custody of Janardhana Reddy and four others arrested in the illegal mining case until 7 September.[40] On 21 January 2015, the Supreme Court granted his bail. The Supreme court agreed to hear Janardhana Reddy's appeal to visit Ballari on 24 May 2021.[41]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Spectacular rise & steep fall of mining baron Janardhana Reddy - Times of India". The Times of India. 12 November 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  2. ^ Singh, Dhrishti (13 May 2023). "पूर्व मंत्री की नई पार्टी ने पहले ही चुनाव में दर्ज की जीत". BiharBandhu.in. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  3. ^ Yardley, Jim (18 August 2010). "Despite Swirl of Scandals, Indian Mining Bosses Thrive". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
  4. ^ "Bellary barons, Karnataka kings". The Telegraph, Calcutta, India. 8 November 2009.
  5. ^ "The Reddy Flag Over Bangalore". Tehelka. Archived from the original on 22 September 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  6. ^ Service, Express News (26 April 2013). "Government cancels 10,760 acre land allotment to Brahmani". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Once 'her sons', Sushma now distances herself from Reddys". India Today.
  8. ^ "Who is Janardhana Reddy?". NDTV.com. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  9. ^ "karnataka: Reddys vs BSY: BSY looks cornered, Reddy's muscle in". Outlook Magazine.
  10. ^ "Politics: BJP: Shobha Karandlaje, BSY's points-woman, is central to the crisis". Outlook Magazine.
  11. ^ "A Rich Vein of Avarice: Older hands shaped the cunning bluster of Jaganmohan, the Reddys". Outlook Magazine.
  12. ^ "Rosaiah gets Janardhana Reddy to handle to beat Jagan". The Pioneer.
  13. ^ "The Man From Kadappa". The Outlook.
  14. ^ "Mining baron Janardhana Reddy launches new party 'Kalyana Rajya Pragati Paksha'". Deccan Herald. 25 December 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  15. ^ "Karnataka mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy floats his own party: 'New episode'". Hindustan Times. 25 December 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  16. ^ The Hindu (25 March 2024). "Karnataka MLA Janardhana Reddy merges his party with BJP". Archived from the original on 25 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Karnataka MLA Janardhana Reddy joins BJP, says 'don't need any positions'". 25 March 2024.
  18. ^ Ram, Theja (16 November 2017). "A quiet burial for some of the mining cases against Janardhana Reddy?". The News Minute. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  19. ^ Aji, Sowmya (16 May 2018). "After falling short of numbers, BJP revisits 'Operation Kamala' of 2008". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  20. ^ "DH Deciphers | What is Operation Kamala 2.0?". Deccan Herald. 15 January 2019. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  21. ^ "What is Operation Kamala ? Will BJP manage a repeat of 2008?". The Statesman. 16 May 2018. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  22. ^ "'Operation Kamala' 2.0 in Karnataka: Union Minister behind efforts to bring down Congress-JDS government, claim sources". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  23. ^ Aji, Sowmya (15 May 2009). "BJP's 'poach-all' operation in Karnataka". India Today. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  24. ^ "op-lotus-in-punjab-mlas-offered-25-crores-each-aap-minister-claims".
  25. ^ "In the 'Republic of Bellary', a minister's 'muscle power'". The Indian Express. 1 August 2011.
  26. ^ "Report details Reddys' rule over 'Republic of Bellary'". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 28 July 2011.
  27. ^ "CBI intensifies probe into Reddy bail scandal". The Deccan Herald. 3 June 2012.
  28. ^ "Larger design in cash-for-bail scam?". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 18 June 2012.
  29. ^ Mondal, Sudipto (18 June 2012). "How mining mafia established a "Republic of Fear" in Bellary". The Hindu. Chennai, India.
  30. ^ "Images of India's huge and controversial wedding". BBC News. 16 November 2016.
  31. ^ Molloy, Mark (16 November 2016). "Lavish wedding for Indian politician's daughter causes uproar". The Telegraph.
  32. ^ "In Pics: The Big Fat Reddy Wedding in Bengaluru, Photo Gallery".
  33. ^ Deepika, K. c (15 November 2016). "Lavish setting for Reddy's daughter's wedding". The Hindu.
  34. ^ Bureaus, Our. "In pre-dawn swoop, CBI arrests Janardhan Reddy, kin in Bellary". The Hindu. Chennai, India.
  35. ^ "Karnataka mining baron Janardhana Reddy arrested". Mid Day.
  36. ^ "CBI arrests Janardhana Reddy, Srinivas Reddy". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 5 September 2011.
  37. ^ "Rajagopal has role in 'benami' mining: CBI". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 14 December 2011.
  38. ^ "Srilakshmi sent to Chanchalguda jail". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 2 December 2011.
  39. ^ "Rajagopal, Sri Lakshmi accused of fraud". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 24 November 2011.
  40. ^ "Janardhana Reddy's judicial custody extended to Sept. 7". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 4 August 2012.
  41. ^ "The Supreme court agreed to hear Janardhana Reddy's appeal". Hospet.online. Ballari, India. 24 May 2012.
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