The Reddy Brothers of Bellary

AP Govt orders CBI inquiry into mining irregularities
Omer Farooq | Hyderabad

Bowing to the relentless pressure from the opposition, Andhra Pradesh Government on Tuesday decided to order a CBI inquiry in to the alleged irregularities in the iron ore mining in Anantapur district. Chief Minister K Rosaiah addressed a letter to the Union Home Ministry requesting for a CBI inquiry in the matter.

The move came after serious allegations of irregularities, encroachment of forest and other private lands were levelled against the influential mine baron and Karnataka tourism minister Galli Janardhan Reddy, who has major mining operation in Anantapur district. Though the letter written by the Chief Minister did not make any direct reference to Galli Janardhan Reddy or his Obulapuram Mining Company but talked of "irregularities in mining in Anantapur" but it is understood that the CBI will be asked to probe the allegations levelled against Galli Janardhan Reddy's company.

Though the opposition parties have been alleging that Galli Janardhan Reddy's company was indulging in illegal mining of iron ore causing losses of thousands of crores to the State and had also encroached in to the area of other mining companies as well as the reserve forest land, this is the first time that the State Government has shown inclination to act on the issue.

Earlier the Government headed by YS Rajasekhara Reddy had rejected the opposition's charges and given a clean chit to Obulapuram company. It was significant as politically influential and powerful Galli Janardhan Reddy and his family had close friendship with YSR and his family. The opposition parties have also alleged that the two families had interest in each other's business.

The issue recently hot up when the Anantapur district forest officer Kallol Biswas issued three show cause notices to OMC and asked it to suspend the mining operations. After Galli Janardhan Reddy alleged that the officer had adopted a vindictive attitude towards his company, the State Government had constituted another three member committee headed by the State Chief Conservator of Forest Sammi Reddy which submitted its report to the Government after visiting the area.

Meanwhile Telugu Desam Party, which was in the forefront of highlighting the "mining scandal", has said that ordering CBI inquiry was not enough. "Let the Government immediately stop the mining operation in Obulapuram till the inquiry is completed", senior TDP leader N Janardhan Reddy said.

Apart from the four opposition parties, TDP, CPI, CPI(M) and Lok Satta, some senior Congress leaders including V Hanumantha Rao and member of Parliament Harsha Kumar had also demanded a CBI inquiry against Galli Janardhan Reddy's company.

Questions are also being raised with in the Congress party about the rationale of close relationship of some Congress leaders with an industrialist who was a minister in Karnataka's BJP Government. Galli Janardhan Reddy has described YSR as his "Godfather" and Jaganmohan Reddy as his younger brother. Many of the key functionaries of Obulapuram Mine company are also relatives or close to the YSR family.


Every politician has skeletons in his cupboard.
YSR the ex-chief minister of Andhra Pradesh is no exception.
After the mourning period, they have started tumbling out.
The Reddy brothers of Bellary who held the BJP government in Karnataka to ransom for almost a month were one of the skeletons. Many more will soon come out.
You will ask what has these Reddy brothers in Karnataka have to
do in Andhra.
They set off from there, starting off as small time operators.
If anybody rises so fast, it cannot be through legal means.
Time and again we have seen politicans and businessmen use each other to rise like meteors.
Since the AP government has handed the case over to the CBI, there may be some chance of it coming up with satisfactory result if its hands are not tied by the centre as they did with the Mulayan and Mayawati enquiry tamasha, sometimes on and sometimes off.