Lokayukta report: Cong demands Yeddyurappa's resignation

Accusing the BJP leadership of patronising illegal mining in Karnataka, Congress today demanded the resignation of Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa.

With the state Lokayukta report indicting the state government over the illegal mining issue, Congress Spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed said, "Yeddyurappa must immediately resign from his post".

"All these things are already in public domain but now the Lokayukta has indicted the Chief Minister and other ministers in the state government," he said.

Lokayukta Santosh Hegde has recommended a probe into Yeddyurappa's role and that of his four ministerial colleagues with regard to illegal mining in the state.  

The Congress spokesperson also questioned the "silence" of senior BJP leaders at the centre over the ongoing "illegal mining" in Karnataka and alleged that was happening with their consent.

"It is now evident that illegal mining in Karnataka was continuing with the consent of top central BJP leaders and they were aware of Chief Minister's involvement in the whole episode. Without their consent, senior party leaders from the state like Dhananjay Kumar could not have gone to meet Lokayukta to request for deleting Yeddyurappa's name from the report," he alleged.

The report, which is to be submitted soon, has also sought an investigation into the role of former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy and Congress Rajya Sabha MP Anil Lad.

Sources have said the four Ministers who were named in the report are: G Janardhana Reddy, G Karunakara Reddy, B Sriramulu, all hailing from the mineral-rich Bellary district, and V Somanna.