JOIN USComing down heavily on MP D V Sadananda Gowda for his allegation that most of mining cases were recommended to the Centre by Congress and JD(S), Mangalore MLA U T Khader challenged the BJP Government to give another tenure to Justice Santhosh Hegde as Lokayukta, if they have the courage.
Addressing the news conference on Wednesday, Khader said that Congress and JD(S) have been asking the Chief Minister to initiate Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the illegal mining issue, but the CM has been backing out from the same on the grounds that BJP government does not have faith on CBI as CBI is the puppet in the hands of the Congress.
“When the question papers were leaked, the Chief Minister without wasting any time, handed over the issue to the CBI. CBI is fit to hold inquiry into all those issue in which the BJP has no role to play but when it comes to issues where BJP leaders have been accused, CBI has no credibility to hold inquiry, according to our CM,” said Khader.
Citing example of how iron ore seized by the Lokayukta was exported, Khader said that if State Government has no role to play in it, how thousands of tonnes of ore could be transported crossing as many as 16 check posts on the way between Bellary and Belekeri in Karwar.
Khader said that Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa himself had agreed in the Assembly that over 2 lakh metric tonnes of ore had been exported from the State.
This shows the condition of BJP government, which has kept quite when the State resources were being looted, he said.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee Secretary Ivan D’Souza calling BJP as ‘Brashta Janata Party,’ said that BJP had done all possible efforts to curtail the powers of Lokayukta.
“If BJP is clean in the mining issue, then why did it take away cases of illegal mining from the hands of the Lokayukta,” he questioned.
He said, if Congress and JD(S) have recommended to the Centre to give permission for mining, it means those are legal, licensed and permitted mining.
“We are talking of illegal mining allowed by the State government clandestinely without following any rules and regulations,” D’Souza said.