New Delhi: Congress leader and Union Minister
Ambika Soni on Friday lashed out at the BJP government in Madhya
Pradesh accusing it of patronising the mining mafia and
allowing it to thrive in the state.
Commenting on the killing of a young police officer in
the state by an alleged member of the mining mafia, Soni said
during her stint as Union Culture minister, she had sternly
taken up cases of illegal mining with the MP CM because
historical monuments were being damaged in the process.
"Illegal mining in Morena, in Madhya Pradesh has been
going on for a very long time. Even when I was the culture
minister, I had to very seriously take up the matter with the
chief minister," Soni said talking to reporters here.
"I had to take up the extreme step of telling him (Madhya
Pradesh CM) that I will make it into a public fight if he
does not stop the ministers concerned who were supposed to be
involved with illegal mining, indulging in this evil practice
and damaging cultural heritage," Soni added.
Soni was responding to the incident involving the death
of IPS officer Narendra Kumar, who was crushed by a tractor
while trying to act against people involved in illegal mining
in Morena. Soni said that as Culture minister she had realised
that mining mafia in MP had political patrons.
"Monuments which were under the Archeological Survey of
India were damaged because of illegal mining which was being
patronised by Madhya Pradesh ministers," Soni said.
In response to another question on incidents of violence
in Uttar Pradesh, Soni said the Samajwadi Party should decide
on who should be the CM and start working.
"Maintenance of law and order is the first responsibility
and I hope that the new government should choose whoever
should become the Chief Minister and form a goverment so that
common people do not suffer," Soni said.
PTI
First Published: Friday, March 09, 2012, 21:37