Inclusion in mining report deliberate: BSY

He saw a conspiracy by those in the Congress and the JD(S), as also those within his own party, behind this.

Yeddyurappa told Deccan Herald after a visit to the Raghavendraswami Mutt at Mantralaya that, earlier, he had respect for the integrity and personality of Hegde. The former chief minister said he did not expect this kind of a report from the former Lokayukta. Hegde’s attitude had pained him a lot, he said.

Though his Government had handed over the investigation into illegal mining between 2000 and 2010 to the former Lokayukta, the probe was carried out for the period starting from 2004.

Interim report

Hegde had named former chief minister Dharam Singh and IPS officer Jija Harisingh in his interim report, which was submitted to the then governor. But the latter had dropped the names of Dharam Singh and Jija Harisingh. Justice Hegde had so far not questioned this move, the former chief minister said.

A specific complaint had been registered against the illegal mining during the tenure of former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy. Just because he is not in power, his name has not been included in the Lokayukta report, Yeddyurappa said. “Is it fair,” he questioned.