Cong slams Yeddy's clean chit to Reddy brothers

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday slammed the BJP government in Karnataka for "avoiding" a CBI probe into the illegal mining in the state, saying "the loot is brazen and is completely uncircumscribed".

Reacting to Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa's "clean chit" to Reddy brothers, who are ministers in the state government, in the illegal mining episode, Congress spokesperson Abishek Singhvi said though the announcement was shocking, it did not spring any surprise.

"Though it (clean chit) is shocking, it is not at all surprising....the protectors or supposed protectors are now predators....(there is) absolute abdication of the rule of law in the state. The loot is brazen. The loot is completely uncircumscribed," Singhvi told a news channel here.

He charged the Karnataka government's Mining Ministry was full of people with direct conflict of interest.

The Forest and Ports Ministry was with the chief minister, but "35 lakh tonnes (of material) went missing in the last four months valued at Rs 2,000 crore to Rs 3,000 crore in all", the Congress leader said.

"You are avoiding the CBI inquiry and what you do, you first start shooting the messenger, ignore the message and then give a clean chit (to Reddy brothers)," he noted.