Tourism minister G Janardana Reddy's second press conference turns into a damp squib, as he fails to show promised video of opposition leaders indulging in illegal mining
Tourism minister G Janardana Reddy's second press conference turns into a damp squib, as he fails to show promised video of opposition leaders indulging in illegal mining
In a bid to counter allegations made against him by former chief minister and JD (S) state president HD Kumaraswamy, tourism minister G Janardana Reddy's spokespersons had announced that they would exhibit video clippings to prove that Congress and JD (S) leaders were involved in illegal mining.
They also dropped hints that the CD had visuals of Kumaraswamy accepting a bribe of Rs 150 crore to issue mining licences, an allegation levelled by Reddy in 2007 that had caused a rift between the JD (S) and the BJP who were in an alliance.
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| Janardana Reddy shows the map of his mining fields to the media during the press conference that was held in the city yesterday. |
The acrimony generated by the allegations had precipitated in the fall of the coalition government.
When the scribes arrived at the hall of a five-star hotel for the press conference, a screen with a slide projector stood in the hall.
Before starting the press conference, Reddy announced that he would show the reporters footage of a representative of the SK Modi Company bribing Kumaraswamy for a mining licence. He added that there were more such visuals that would establish the role of opposition members in illegal mining.
At the end of the conference, curious reporters demanded to be shown the promised footage. "I have the CD with me but I am hesitant to show the visuals as it may expose many mine owners to risk," Reddy said.
Dhananjaya Kumar, spokesperson of the BJP and the Delhi representative to the state government, who accompanied Reddy in the press conference, said that the screen and the projector were not theirs.
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"Maybe, the people who used the hall before us kept them for a power-point presentation. Believe me, we are not fooling around," he added.
