New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of not taking any action to stop illegal mining in Karnataka, the Congress Thursday said the resignation of Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa should be the starting point.
"Now the report (by the state Lokayukta) finds direct evidence of crores of rupees changing hands directly at the door of the chief minister, his son, his family, his trusts. You have four ministers directly indicted," Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi told reporters.
"But what do I expect? A sophisticated flimsy excuse as the BJP has been making over last two years. Otherwise, resignation of the chief minister should be the starting point," he said.
The BJP-led Karnataka government has been drawing flak after the leaked report of Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde named Yeddyurappa in the multi-crore rupee scam. The chief minister's sons and son-in-law are said to be involved as well.
Former chief minister and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy, Rajya Sabha Congress MP and miner Anil Lad and Karnataka ministers G. Janardhana Reddy and Karunakar Reddy have also been named in the report.
Besides the Reddy brothers, Tourism Minister G. Janardhana and Revenue Minister G. Karunakara, their associate, Health Minister B. Sreeramulu, are also said to be involved in illegal mining.
"Over the last two years, we have had interim reports pinpointing gross corruption, mismanagement, maladministration, but nothing has been done," Singhvi said.