Bangalore: With the Karnataka government
handing over entire probe into illegal mining scam to state
Lokayukta, the BJP today called for a halt to the acrimonious
slug-fest among rival political parties on the issue.
"There should be an end to this discussion", BJP
spokesman V Dhananjaya Kumar told a press conference convened
by Tourism Minister G Janardhana Reddy.
The press conference was convened by Reddy to rebut
allegations levelled against him by JDS leader and former
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on the mining scam.
Kumar said the BJP would henceforth not respond to
allegations made by rival political parties on the issue.
The opposition parties wanted to make news every day
and trying to create confusion in the minds of the people, he
alleged.
"We will not talk about it anymore. We will not give
any reaction. We are not interested in wordy duel with the
opposition," the BJP spokesman said.
He appealed to Kumaraswamy and Karnataka Pradesh
Congress Committee president R V Deshpande to hand over all
the documents available with them to Lokayukta.
The Lokayukta is free to take the assistance of any
agency, including the CBI, if required, in its probe in the
alleged scam, he said.
Kumar categorically said BJP would never agree for a
CBI probe, saying the central investigating agency would only
besmirch his party and protect Congress whose aim was to
topple the BJP government in the state.
Denied the allegation made yesterday by Kumaraswamy,
Reddy termed it as "baseless" and "totally false".
The minister said he would hand over all the documents
regarding mining activities and CDs to support his corruption
allegations against Kumaraswamy, to the Lokayukta today.
Kumaraswamy had alleged that a mining company owned by
Janardhana Reddy had illegally mined iron ore in Bellari
district under the name of Black Gold (Iron Ore) Mining and
Minerals.
Reddy said he would henceforth not respond to any of
the allegations, as he has lots of work to do pertaining to
the Tourism and Infrastructure Development Departments.
PTI
