BELLARY: Is something amiss in the Bellary Reddy brothers’ family? Has eldest brother Karunakara Reddy drifted away from his siblings?These are the questions haunting people of Bellary and politicians of all parties camping in Bellary for the November 30 byelection. Even those who come across as close associates of the Reddy brothers are not in the know or pretend to be so.Former revenue minister G Karunakara Reddy has disappeared from public glare ever since his younger brother Janardhana Reddy was arrested by the CBI on charges of illegal mining.Considered the most “sober” and “sensitive” of the Reddy clan, Karunakara Reddy was expected to come out of his self-imposed exile at least when Sriramulu, a close associate of Reddys, decided to contest as an Independent candidate and announce his support to the Valmiki strongman.But to everybody’s surprise, the elder Reddy has not only remained in hiding but has also been silent on supporting Sriramulu, fuelling speculation about trouble in the Reddy family.Though nobody knows exactly why Karunakara Reddy is silent, many theories are doing the rounds in Bellary. While some say he has never been happy with his brothers’ style of functioning and was upset when his name cropped up in the Lokayukta’s illegal mining report, some attribute his hiding to his shy and sensitive nature.“He was like that even when he was a minister. He never used to mingle with people. So, there is nothing unusual about his silence,” said a Sriramulu supporter.Others maintain that it was a ploy of the Reddys to keep Karunakara Reddy away from Sriramulu’s campaign to ensure a post-poll affiliation in the event of their losing the bypoll.His very whereabouts are a mystery with some saying he is abroad, while others say he is staying with a relative. Even Sriramulu refuses to answer questions on Karunakara Reddy’s mysterious stand. “He is our elder brother. But I don’t know if he is with me or with the BJP. For more on this, you must ask him,’’ says Sriramulu.
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