“He (Janardhana Reddy) has changed the boundaries between the states. He has changed the mining boundaries. Illegal mining is happening there. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Central Governments have not taken any action so far,” Telugu Desam Chief N Chandrababu Naidu told reporters after meeting Rosaiah.
He was accompanied by CPI(M) state secretary B V Raghavulu, CPI state secretary K Narayana and Lok Satta Party president and MLA N Jayaprakash Narayan. The three parties have decided to wage a joint fight against the alleged illegal mining by the Karnataka minister.
Naidu demanded that the illegal iron ore mining in Anantapur district of Andhra by the Obulapuram Mining Company, the firm owned by Janardhana Reddy, be halted immediately. “Chief Minister K Rosaiah is not taking any action. He says he will study the matter. How many years does it take?” he asked. Narayan demanded that the government cancel the existing mining leases and award fresh lease through competitive international bidding.
Taking the lead, the main Opposition Telugu Desam roped in the CPI, CPI(M) and Lok Satta in the fight against the Karnataka minister’s alleged illegal mining. The TDP held an all-party meeting to prepare a plan of action over the matter. However, Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam, TRS and BJP stayed away from the meeting.
The TDP, CPI, CPI(M) and Lok Satta decided to meet the Chief Minister and Governor initially and take the fight to Delhi at a later stage.
Responding to the Opposition demand, Chief Minister K Rosaiah on Sunday said his government would act in an impartial manner without bowing to any pressure.
A release from the Chief Minister’s Office quoted Rosaiah as saying that the state government would act in a transparent and impartial manner.
Three review meetings have been held even before the Opposition parties submitted their memorandum on Sunday, the release said.
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