Congress padayatra ends, party holds rally in Bellary

Mangalore Today News Network

Bellary, Aug 09, 2010: In a show of strength at the end of its 320-km padayatra, Congress today stormed the mining bastion of Bellary, targetting ruling BJP on illegal mining and corruption and warned it that the Centre will not remain a mute spectator to the ’loot’ of natural resources.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Congress leaders claimed the countdown for the fall of the first-ever BJP government in the south has begun and unleashed a barrage of attacks on ministers and the Reddy brothers - the mining magnates who hail from Bellary - accusing them of looting the state’s resources.

 

Addressing the gathering, estimated to be about two lakh by the party, the leaders charged the Reddy brothers with treating Bellary as their personal fiefdom and castigated Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa for not reining them in.

Congress had launched the padayatra in Bangalore on July 25 under the banner ’Bellary Chalo’ after accepting the challenge thrown by K Janardhana Reddy and Karunakara Reddy and their close associate and minister R Sreeramulu in the assembly, daring them to step into their home district.

Claiming overwhelming success of the padayatra, Congress leaders said the party has been ’rejuvenated’ and went to the extent of smelling power, maintaining, "We will soon hoist the Congress flag on Vidhana Soudha" (state secretariat).

 

 

Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, also in-charge of party affairs in the state, lashed out at the Yeddyurappa government, charging that "BJP ministers are looting the state’s natural resources."

"The state’s resources are concentrated in the hands of four individuals under BJP rule. They are into illegal exports and BJP leaders keep mum because they are involved in it," he alleged. In a sharp attack on Reddy brothers, Azad, who oversaw the party’s 1999 assembly poll win, wanted to know how these Bellary ministers had amassed so much wealth in a short period, the nature of their business and source of income.

He said "15 years ago when I was here, I had not heard of these Reddy brothers. They did not even own a bicycle then..Now they claim they possess tens and thousands of crores. Where did it come from? What is their enterprise? Have they inherited this wealth? They have amassed it by looting the natural treasury of Karnataka.

"One district in Karnataka is beyond the jurisdiction of the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister cannot even post or transfer an official." He said the BJP government should not underestimate the Centre. "If it considers that the Centre is weak or helpless, it is highly mistaken," he said, adding "The Centre will not sit quiet" if this plunder of resources continues and the BJP government does not take action.

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna also warned the BJP government that the Centre, "whether it is the Prime Minister or ministers have not kept their eyes closed to the rampant looting of natural resources."

He said the Centre was seriously contemplating stringent steps against "such plunder" and assured that it would take all necessary steps to curtail it. He charged that a few individuals under the protection of the BJP government were looting the wealth of Bellary. Terming the padayatra as an important milestone in the state’s political history, he said it was a significant step to put a stop to illegal mining.

Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily underlined the need for stringent action against the Reddy brothers to bring an end to their "illegal activities", saying "if it is allowed to go unchecked, democracy will be in peril". "The Centre will bring in a stringent law against illegal mining and take all necessary steps to check it," he said and cautioned "the mining lobby in Karnataka has been able to maintain in a demon-like grip over the BJP government".

Union Labour Minister M Mallikarjun Kharge said, "In response to Reddy’s challenge who dared us to enter Bellary, we are here. "We are here in lakhs and lakhs. You can come and see for yourself. The response has scared BJP." He also pressed for a CBI probe into illegal iron ore exports, which he alleged was still on even after a ban by the government.

Azad said Congress government, led by Krishna had put Karnataka on the global map by giving thrust to the IT sector. But the BJP government, led by Yeddyurappa, had put the state in the international limelight when right wing outfit Ram Sene attacked girls at pubs and some ’elements’ attacked churches.

The first-ever BJP government in the south "showed its true colours when it made the state famous in the country and overseas for illegal mining". KPCC President R V Deshpande, who also led the padayatra with party opposition leader in the assembly Siddaramaiah, said the party’s next course of agitation would be to bring down the BJP government for its acts of "betrayal".

He asked Yeddyurappa to dissolve the assembly and go for a fresh mandate to test BJP’s strength as he had been claiming his party would win 150 seats in the next assembly polls.

 

Siddaramaiah steals the show

Siddaramaiah was the last to address the people, who were eagerly waiting to hear him. He was the one who received maximum applause from the crowd, while former minister C M Ibrahim entertained the crowd with his witty one-liners.

“Is Janardhana Reddy a rowdy of Bellary? He thinks he is the 21st century Krishnadevaraya in the district. Even 100 Reddys can’t do anything to any Kannadiga. Reddy has received arrest warrant 18 times. Can a common man escape so many arrest warrants,” Siddaramaiah questioned.

He said Janardhana Reddy has no culture of addressing others with respect. He addresses everyone in singular.

MLA D K Shivakumar, who was seated next to Union Minister S M Krishna, said, “Janardhana Reddy should realise that he is a first-time MLC and his brother a first time MLA. They can’t threaten us. I have won Assembly elections five times. We too have compassion like the one possessed by Karna (of Mahabharatha), principles followed by Dharmaraya, strength of Bhima and also tantra (techniques) of Lord Krishna. We know that we have to adopt strategies, as did Krishna.”

 

Courtesy: Deccan Herald