Bangalore: Karnataka, reeling under corruption scandals and political instability, seems destined to remain a misgoverned state, hostage to the powerplay of the notoriously rich Reddy brothers who manipulate the state's politics by proxy from their bastion in Bellary, the iron-ore rich district 300 km north of Bangalore.
The brothers, two of whom were once ministers but who are now feeling sidelined by their former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) patrons in the wake of illegal mining scandal, are all set to float a new political party in the next few days in this state where no party appears to be in a shape to come to power on its own. This has been the case since 2004 when Congress lost power after a five-year rule during which Bangalore logged on to become the nation's IT hub and became an international metaphor for outsourcing.
The brothers, Gali Janardhana, Gali Karunakara and Gali Somashekara, are using their staunch loyalist and former BJP minister B. Sriramulu as a front to launch their party. Sriramulu, who on Dec 4 scored a thumping victory in the bypoll to Bellary Rural assembly seat as an independent candidate after quitting the BJP, has indicated the new party will be named "BSR Party". The BJP fared poorly in the bypoll.
Bellary has become a stronghold of the Reddy brothers, sons of a police constable in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. Though BSR can stand for B. Sriramulu also, he is saying it stands for "Badavaru, shramikaru, raitharu" (poor, working class and farmers).
Janardhana, the most aggressive of the brothers, is directing the power games from his cell in Hyderabad's Chanchalaguda Jail where he has been lodged since Sep 5 for his alleged involvement in illegal mining in Andhra Pradesh.
The brothers' and Sriramulu's immediate target is to defeat Chief Minister D. V. Sadananda Gowda if he contests the Dec 22 bypoll to the legislative council. Gowda is now a Lok Sabha member and took over as Chief Minister Aug 4 from B. S. Yeddyurappa, who quit July 31 following the then Lokayukta (ombudsman) N. Santosh Hegde recommending his trial for corruption in the illegal mining scam.
Gowda has to get elected to the state assembly or the legislative council (the upper house of the legislature) within six months of taking over as Chief Minister.
Sriramulu is going round claiming the support of 22 of the 119 BJP assembly members in a house that has 225-members including one nominated. Only assembly members are eligible to vote in the Dec 22 bypoll, for which Dec 12 is the last day for filing nomination papers.
Sriramulu is trying to emerge as the 'king-maker', or rather 'trouble-maker' for BJP, by promising to get all the 22 assembly members supporting him to vote against Gowda if Congress and Janata Dal-Secular field a joint or common candidate against him.
The Congress and JDS seem to be too willing to fall for the bite as their aim too is to bring down the BJP government, though neither of them is confident of a good show if the assembly polls are held now or when due in 18 months from now.
Sriramulu plans to meet Congress and JDS leaders to enlist their support for his and Reddy brothers' game plan.
Leader of the opposition in the assembly, Siddaramaiah of Congress, has said his party will decide on its candidate and then seek Sriramulu's help.
The coming together of Congress, JDS and Reddy brothers' through Sriramulu will complete a circle of a political circus, as the two parties have been vehemently attacking them in the past. The Congress had in fact organized a Bangalore to Bellary 'padayatra' last year to expose the shenanigans of Reddy brothers and Sriramulu.
BJP is putting up a brave face dismissing as mere claims Sriramulu's boast of having 22 party assembly members under him to defeat Gowda in case he contest the Dec 22 council bypoll.
"We are issuing a whip to all party members to vote for the party candidate and let us see who will defy it," says state BJP chief K. S. Eshwarappa.
Under India's law to curb defection from one party to the other, defying a whip will result in losing membership of the legislature.
There is also speculation that BJP might not field Gowda at all in the Dec 22 bypoll, nipping in the bud Reddy brothers' and Sriramulu's dream of either bringing down the BJP government or becoming 'king-makers'.
The speculation started after Gowda put off his plans to file the nomination papers Saturday ostensibly because of the "inauspicous" lunar eclipse.
The talk in political circles is he may file Monday, the last day to do so. This can well be a ploy to keep the Reddy brothers' and their supporters in the BJP guessing on the party's next move or buying time to ensure numbers before entering the fray.
