Top BJP leadership linked to illegal mining: Manish Tewari

The Congress today said Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa would be unable to take action against Reddy brothers, who are facing allegations of illegal mining, given their linkages with the top BJP leadership.

"Unfortunately, the pernicious writ of the Reddy brothers runs very deep into the vitals of the BJP. Their linkages extend right to the top of the BJP," Congress spokesman Manish Tewari told reporters here when asked to comment on the protests inside the Karnataka Assembly against illegal mining.

"I do not even know if the Chief Minister of Karnataka, if he so desires, would be able to take action because the linkages are not at the Karnataka level, the linkages are at the Delhi level. BJP leadership in Delhi is very deeply involved in all that illegal mining," he said.

He noted that the Lok Ayukta of Karnataka had resigned on the issue of illegal mining.

"You had complainants who had brought this to the notice of the judicial authorities being assaulted on camera. Therefore, when you have entities (Reddy brothers) who think they have become a law unto themselves there is a need to control them," Tewari said.

Congress and JDS members have been staging a sit-in inside the Assembly since July nine demanding action against five BJP members, including three ministers of Bellary -- G Janardhana Reddy, G Karunakara Reddy and B Sreeramulu.