The Politics of Washing Away Corruption

The Ballari violence that claimed the life of a Congress worker has once again brought an uncomfortable question to the centre of Indian politics: how the BJP has, over the years, normalised embracing leaders with serious corruption baggage — only to defend them fiercely once they wear the party’s colours.

At the heart of the current controversy is G. Janardhana Reddy, a name synonymous for years with illegal mining scandals, CBI cases, and jail terms. Yet today, after re-entering the BJP, Reddy is being projected as a victim — with the party demanding a probe by a sitting High Court judge, alleging a “Congress conspiracy,” and accusing the state machinery of vendetta politics.

This pattern is not new. Across states, the BJP has repeatedly opened its doors to leaders it once accused of corruption, only to suddenly argue that all allegations are politically motivated once those leaders switch sides. The message that goes out to the public is blunt: corruption is unforgivable — unless the accused joins the BJP. At that point, past cases are dismissed as “witch-hunts,” “fabrications,” or “Congress-era vendetta.”

The Ballari episode exposes the deeper contradiction. A Congress worker lies dead after violence outside Reddy’s residence, police confirm the bullet came from a private revolver, and yet the BJP narrative is focused almost entirely on protecting its MLA and accusing the government. There is little introspection on how criminalisation of politics, private gunmen, and muscle power continue to thrive around leaders with controversial pasts — regardless of party.

Senior BJP leaders, including B. Y. Vijayendra, have alleged that the Congress government is “targeting” Reddy after his return strengthened the party. But this raises a larger public question: why does every political party treat strongmen as assets rather than liabilities? And why does the BJP, which built its national narrative on “zero tolerance for corruption,” appear increasingly indistinguishable from the very politics it once condemned?

For ordinary citizens, the optics are damaging. When leaders accused of large-scale corruption are rehabilitated overnight, when investigations stall or soften after party switches, and when deaths and violence are reduced to political talking points, public faith in justice erodes. Ballari is not just about banners, Valmiki Jayanti, or factional rivalry — it is about how power shields itself.

The tragedy is that corruption cases don’t disappear because party flags change. Nor does violence become justified because it is politically inconvenient. If the BJP truly believes in accountability, it must apply the same standards to its own ranks that it demands of others. Otherwise, the perception will only deepen that joining the BJP is not about ideology — it is about absolution.