Bangalore, July 15 (IANS) The 24-hour sit-in by Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) legislators in the Karnataka assembly for the fourth day Thursday, demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into illegal mining, is turning out to be a gold mine to weave conspiracy theories.
The theories floating around in the state stem from the apparent sudden change in the Congress-JD-S stand Monday.

The two parties stalled the proceedings of the house Monday demanding action against the Reddy brothers and two of their supporting legislators from Bellary for threatening opposition members in the assembly Friday.

The Reddy brothers, Tourism Minister G. Janardhana Reddy, his elder brother and Revenue Minister G. Karunakara Reddy, and younger brother and assembly member G. Somashekara Reddy, are accused of large-scale illegal mining in Bellary as well as neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

However, Monday evening the two parties announced a 24-hour sit-in the assembly till the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government agrees to a CBI probe.

Following are some of the theories:

- The Congress-JD-S protest has tacit backing of BJP’s first chief minister in the state B.S. Yeddyurappa who sees this as a great opportunity to rein in the mining barons, the Reddy brothers, who almost unseated him last year through their rebellion.

- Yeddyurappa may be toying with the idea of a mid-term poll using illegal mining issue to emerge as the unquestioned leader of the BJP in the state as he now feels hemmed in by the Reddy brothers, general secretary H.N. Ananth Kumar and several other senior state party leaders.

That is why while opposing a CBI probe, he has not made any statement in the house since Monday defending the Reddys and instead has declared that he will go to the people for fresh mandate if he cannot stop illegal mining.

- The Congress wants to pin down the Reddy brothers with a CBI probe so that they do not add to the party’s problems in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh where Y. Jaganmohan Reddy, son of late chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, is on a warpath against party government headed by K. Rosaiah.

The Reddy brothers are said to be very close to Jaganmohan. Opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh claim Jaganmohan is a business partner of the Reddys. The Reddys own the Obulapuram Mining Company which has most of its mines in Andhra Pradesh, bordering Bellary, their political base.

- A CBI probe may force the two Reddys to quit as ministers and JD-S will get even with the brothers, particularly Janardhana Reddy, as he has accused the party state president and former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy of taking Rs.1.5 billion bribe from those illegally mining the iron ore in Bellary.

- The BJP central leadership is unwilling to act against the Reddys not only because of financial clout they enjoy but also because it hopes they will get Jaganmohan to the party in Andhra Pradesh which may bring down the Congress government there.

- Governor H.R. Bhardwaj seems to be helping Yeddyurappa to curb the growing clout of the Reddys with his statements like he (Yeddyurappa) knows the situation and has sought time to act; law and order in Karnataka is fine except in Bellary; issue concerns only four/five ministers indulging in illegal mining etc.

The latest claim is that Reddy brothers want to spend Rs.35 billion to make senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, whom the brothers call their ‘thayi’ (mother), the next prime minister.

This claim was made Wednesday by Congress legislator K.C. Kondaiah.