K'taka BJP attacks Cong govt over letter from CM's adviser exposing mafia-officer nexus

Bengaluru, Oct 21 (IANS) Targeting the Congress-led government over a letter from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's adviser and MLA Basavaraj Rayareddy exposing sand mafia, the BJP's Karnataka unit has questioned what more proof was needed to expose the deeply entrenched corruption.

Taking to social media X, Karnataka BJP President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra stated on Tuesday, "What more proof does Karnataka need to see how deeply corruption has eaten into the Congress-led Karnataka government? When even the Chief Minister’s own Economic Adviser admits that a mafia–official nexus is looting the state’s natural wealth, robbing over Rs 400 crore every year from the people, it exposes the rot within the CM Siddaramaiah’s administration. The sand mafia flourishes openly while officials allegedly take bribes under ministerial protection."

"Illegal mining, looting of natural resources, bribery - under Congress-led Karnataka rule, every part of the system stands tainted. Corruption has become the norm, and development has taken a back seat. Instead of cleaning up the mess, those in power have become a part of it," he stated.

"If the rot runs this deep in one sector, what must be happening in others? This is the true face of Congress rule. Corruption everywhere, accountability nowhere," Vijayendra said.

The Chief Minister's Economic Adviser, a senior MLA, Basavaraj Rayareddy, has raised his voice against the sand mafia in the state and urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take immediate action.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, Rayareddy appealed for serious consideration of the issue and urged the government to take concrete steps to prevent the ongoing loss of revenue in Koppal district.

Rayareddy pointed out that the Koppal district has over 85 kilometres of the Tunga Bhadra riverbank, where a large quantity of loose sand is naturally available throughout the year. Every day, around 100 to 150 truckloads of this loose sand are being illegally transported to Gadag, Ballari, Hubballi, Dharwad, Chitradurga, and Bengaluru without proper documentation or permits.

He emphasised that this illegal transportation is causing a significant loss of revenue to the state government in the form of uncollected royalties.

The CM's adviser warned that such developments are tarnishing the image of the state government. In light of this, he demanded an immediate halt to the illegal transportation of loose sand and jelly stones.

Rayareddy stated that this situation is a major embarrassment for the state government and urged it to send a strong message by initiating strict action.

--IANS

mka/dpb