Sources claim that Lokayukta's report will not directly implicate the CM, as involvement in his personal capacity has not been established; a relieved Yeddyurappa says he deserves a Nobel Prize, not punishment
Sources claim that Lokayukta's report will notu00a0 directly implicate the CM, as involvement in his personal capacity has not been established;u00a0a relieved Yeddyurappa says he deserves a Nobel Prize, not punishmentWith the much-awaited Lokayukta report on illegal mining scheduled to be submitted today, the Yeddyurappa camp apparently showed signs of relief yesterday, since they got a whiff that it contained nothing that could be scathing against the CM.
Walking tall? Yeddyurappa with Minister Jagdish Shetter, State BJP
President K S Eshwarappa and MP Sadananda Gowda at the CM's
residence in Dollars Colony. Pic/Ramesh HSWhile speaking at a public function in the city yesterday, a confident Yeddyurappa said that his efforts related to the ore ban issue should be rewarded with the Nobel Prize. According to highly placed sources, Yeddyurappa's name is not directly linked to the explosive scam, but is mentioned as a policy maker, who with flawed policies, has caused huge losses to the exchequer thereby helping scamsters to rake in profits.
With thanks: The files, which were with Lokayukta while he was
probing the illegal mining case, were returned back to the
respective departmentsThe report is believed to have highlighted losses to the exchequer to the tune of Rs 1,827 crore in a span of 14 months between March 2009 and May 2010. It mentions that the loss was mainly due to the ore export ban, which paved the way for illegal transport of the mineral out of the state.
The report has also mentioned the fact that neighbouring Andhra Pradesh issued some five lakh permits to transport the ore and the material was shifted out by illegal means and on false pretexts, which has caused a loss to the state in terms of royalty. However, this would not directly implicateu00a0 Yeddyurappa, as his involvement in his personal capacity is not established.
Award due?As if getting the hint, an apparently jubilant Yeddyurappa said, during a public function yesterday, "Was it my sin to ban ore export. I banned it with the intention to save the state's resources. In fact, I deserve a Nobel Prize for that, not punishment."
Even sources in the BJP high command said there was no possibility of taking a serious action against Yeddyurappa for now, and that he faced no peril at the moment. "The party will ask Yeddyurappa to quit only if the report states that he is directly involved in the illegal mining. Otherwise, the need does not arise," said Ravishankar Prasad, BJP general secretary.
Although the report is expected to implicate Yeddyurappa directly in the illegal mining, it is believed to have held him responsible for mining in the forest area and illegal transportation of ore through the forest check post, because he held forest portfolio at that time.
"The report has established the involvement of forest officials and talks about placing responsibility on Yeddyurappa in his capacity of forest minister," said a source. Yeddyurappa also holds the mines and geology ministry, and while he was responsible for making policies to help the illegal mining, the Lokayukta investigative team does not have evidence linking him to clearing mining lease illegally. However, former CM H D Kumaraswamy, N Dharam Singh and S M Krishna are said to have been mentioned in this regard.
Back and forthThe serious part of the report is about the ore theft from the Belekeri port. The forest department had said in June last year that five lakh tons of ore, which was seized in March last year, was stolen. The Lokayukta team has traced the stolen ore to Hong Kong and the companies, including ILC Industries Limited, have lifted the ore after it was seized. While Anand Singh, BJP MLA close to Tourism Minister G Janardana Reddy is one of the directors of ILC Industries Limited, the report is believed to have established the company as a front for Reddy.
Leaps and bounds?Lokayukta Justice N Santhosh Hegde said he would submit the report to Chief Secretary S V Ranganath today afternoon. He is expected address the media following the submission and distribution of the report. Amidst the speculations surrounding the report, BJP witnessed swift political activities, yesterday. H N Ananth Kumar, MP from Bangalore (South) and Yeddyurappa's archrival in the party, is said to have offered a formula while urging the CM to step down. According to Kumar, he isu00a0 willing to take over as CM and is offering the post of deputy CM to Yeddyurappa's close friend Shobha Karandlaje. Yeddyurappa has out rightly rejected the offer saying he would not be resigning after submission of the report.
Rs 1,827 croreLoss that the state exchequer has suffered in 14 months between April 2009 and May 2010
