From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Dec 15: The Oppostion Congress members demanded a CBI probe into the multi-crore illegal mining scam in Karnataka and accused the State Government of trying to shield the guilty by refusing to take action on reports submitted by the Karnataka Lokayukta.
Congress Opposition leader Siddaramaiah, who made a preliminary submission seeking to move move an adjournment motion on Government’s in-action on Lokayukta reports on illegal mining in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, said former Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde submitted the interim report on illegal mining in December 2008 and final report in July 2011 but the Government has ''slept over both the reports.”
The State Government has not taken action on both interim and final reports on illegal mining to protect some ruling party leaders, he said and pointed out that Justice Hegde had in his final report lamented that the Government had not taken any action on the interim report and the illegal mining had increased since 2008.
Siddaramaiah said the Lokayukta report had put the loss to the State exchequer because of illegal mining at Rs 16,850 crore.
“A Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa had to resign, former Minister G Janardhana Reddy went to jail on the issue and some Ministers had to be dropped,” he said demanding that ''those who are involved should be sent to jail and punished.”
Siddaramaiah’s statement that ''the State Government is totally involved in mining scam” led to an uproar in the House for a few minutes as ruling party members raised slogans against the Congress and demanded Speaker K G Bopaiah not to take up the issue under the adjournment motion. There was angry exchange of words between BJP members and Siddaramaiah over his remarks against the Government.
Ministers Basavaraj Bommai, Jagadish Shettar, Shobha Karandlaje and Renukacharya too opposed the Congress leader’s statement and said the issue cannot be taken up as adjournment motion. But the Government is ready to discuss the issue in detail under a different rule, they said.
Later, the Speaker declined permission for the adjournment motion but allowed discussion under rule 69 of the House after the question hour.