Left parties seek resignation of three Bellary Ministers

The Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI-M) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) have accused the three Ministers from Bellary, G. Janardhan Reddy, G. Karunakara Reddy and B. Sriramulu, of defaming Bellary and also the State and have sought their resignation.

Addressing a joint press conference here on Thursday, U. Basavaraj and K. Nagabhushan Rao, secretaries of the district committees of CPI(M) and CPI respectively, alleged that though the three Ministers claimed that there was no illegal mining activities in the district, mineral wealth had been looted which only spoke of either their incapability to prevent the loot of mineral resources or their involvement in illegal mining activities.

They wanted the three Ministers to own responsibility and tender their resignation to their posts.

“The statement of Mr. Sriramulu that the Opposition parties were unnecessarily defaming Bellary, its people and culture, is wrong. The name of Bellary and also the State was getting defamed by these three Ministers insofar as illegal mining is concerned,” Mr. Basavaraj said.

Rally

He said that to protest against the “failure” of the Congress and the BJP in curbing illegal mining and also to create awareness among the public about the need to rise to the occasion in protecting natural mineral wealth, the Left parties have organised a rally in Bellary on August 3.

According to Mr. Basavaraj, large-scale illegal mining was the result of the failure of the Congress and the BJP leading to the growth of a “mafia” there.

Mr. Nagabhushan said that a procession would be taken out from Durgamma temple to Gandhi Bhavan by Left activists.

This will be followed by a public meeting.

Sitaram Yechury, Polit Bureau member of the CPI(M), and Narayan of the CPI are among senior leaders of the parties to take part in the rally.

In addition, Secretary of the State unit of CPI(M) V.J.K. Nair, Siddanagouda Patil, S. Prasanna Kumar, G.N. Nagaraj, and Ramakrishna, CPI and All India Kisan Sabha leader in Andhra Pradesh, would address the rally, he said.

The Left parties, during the rally, would urge both the Governments to initiate immediate action against all those involved in illegal mining and nationalise mining, ban exports of iron ore until a new mineral/mining policy was brought out and order a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into illegal mining activities, they said.

Courtesy : The Hindu