15 years on, debate on illegal mining returns to Karnataka Assembly

G Janardhan Reddy and Santosh Lad, both mining barons, have faced accusations in the multi-crore illegal iron ore extraction 'scam' that rocked the state's politics more than a decade ago.

Bengaluru: Karnataka Assembly proceedings were disrupted Wednesday after Gangavathi BJP MLA G Janardhan Reddy targeted Labour Minister Santosh Lad over illegal mining.

Reddy and Lad, both mining barons, have faced accusations in the multi-crore illegal iron ore extraction 'scam' that rocked the state's politics more than a decade ago.

Reddy was arrested in 2011 in connection with the illegal mining scam. In 2013, Lad had to resign from the then Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet following the Supreme Court ordering the cancellation of his firm VS Lad & Sons' mining license.

During a debate on the motion of thanks to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot's joint address to the legislature, senior BJP lawmaker recalled what transpired in 2011.

"On January 6, 2011, when Governor HR Bharadwaj was addressing a joint sesion of the legislature, then Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah asked him not to read the speech as the government was corrupt. The Governor then laid his speech and left," Kumar said.

Responding to this, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the two incidents -- Bharadwaj then and Thaawarchand Gehlot now -- were not comparable.

“In 2011, Bharadwaj laid the address in the House and left. I did not ask him to stop reading. The circumstances then and now are completely different,” Siddaramaiah said.

Further, Siddaramaiah said Bharadwaj's episode followed an adjournment motion based on the Lokayukta report on illegal mining.

“Justice Santosh Hegde, in his Lokayukta report, stated that it was a corrupt government. So, I had asked the Governor not to read the speech as the government was corrupt. That situation arose after a padayatra I had undertaken [to Ballari]," he said.

Reddy intervened and accused Siddaramaiah of misleading the Assembly.

“Your padayatra was held in July 2010 prior to the 2011 incident involving the Governor [Bharadwaj]. After your padayatra, the Supreme Court cancelled mining permits of Santosh Lad. It is a shame that you still have Santosh Lad sitting in this House as a minister," Reddy told Siddaramaiah. Lad was not present when Reddy said this. This led to chaos followed by adjournment.