Hyderabad:
Jagan Mohan Reddy reacted angrily this morning when he was asked about the arrest of mining baron Janardhana Reddy. "This is hitting below the belt," Jagan Mohan said as he headed to parliament, where he represents the Kadapa constituency of Andhra Pradesh.
It was Jagan Mohan's father, YSR Reddy, who granted Janardhana the lease for his mining operations in Andhra Pradesh. Janardhan, who was Tourism Minister for Karnataka till last month, has been arrested for illegal mining. His company, Obalapuram Mining Company, has been accused of mining in forest areas, and of illegally exporting iron ore.
In December 2009, the CBI began investigating the operations of the Reddy mines, along with others, in Andhra Pradesh. The Supreme Court has been monitoring the inquiry, and also sent its own panel of experts to tour the area along the border between Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka which is rich in mineral resources.
YSR died in September 2009 in a helicopter crash. K Rosaiah, who took over as Chief Minister, asked for a CBI inquiry, which allegedly prompted further hostility from Jagan, who was upset about not being made his father's replacement.
Jagan is now the subject of another CBI inquiry. The agency has said his father favoured companies who made massive investments in Jagan's stable of companies. Jagan is one of India's richest politicians. The fact that YSR has been named as a criminal conspirator by the CBI has outraged not just Jagan but a series of Congress leaders in Andhra Pradesh, who are aware of YSR's considerable political legacy among the voters of his state.