BJP blames Cong, JD(S) for illegal mining mess

Soon after the Congress took out a ‘Raj Bhavan chalo’ rally in Bangalore, senior BJP leader D B Chandre Gowda alleged that the two parties were indulging in a “smear campaign” against the ruling party.

He also released a booklet titled ‘Who is really responsible for the mining mess in Karnataka?’ at a media conference.

During their protests, both the Congress and the JD(S) highlighted the rampant illegal mining in the State and held the BJP government responsible for it.

The JD(S) concluded its four-day ‘janandolana’ (people’s movement) on Monday by holding a public rally in Shimoga, the home district of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa.

In the eight-page booklet, the BJP stated that its government led by Yeddyurappa had not approved any of the mining leases that have come under the Supreme Court scanner. The Supreme Court recently ordered suspension of 19 mining leases and joint inspection of 99 licenced areas in the State. All these mining licences were approved during the Congress and the JD(S) regimes in the past, the booklet stated.

“Both these parties (the Congress and the JD-S) have actively encouraged the mining mafia and have given a fillip to illegal mining,” the party alleged and highlighted specific cases like allowing movement of ore dumped on patta land in 2006 by the then N Dharam Singh government, and Kumaraswamy recommending extension of mining lease to a company in 2007, throwing rules to the winds.

Gowda further said the State Congress leaders had become active after being castigated recently by their high command, while for the JD(S), staging protests was a a way of retaining its identity.

“The JD(S) cannot win more than 30 seats. It is like a joker, which can fit in anywhere. It does not have the capability of forming a government on its own,” he added.

He said he had urged the chief minister to enact legislation to recover the loss caused by mineral dealers by indulging in illegal trade. Besides, he said, he had written to Yeddyurappa to convene a special session of the State Legislature to discuss the illegal mining issue.