Digvijaya Singh questions Madhya Pradesh sand mining

Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh has through his blog Tuesday questioned the role of BJP leaders in illegal mining taking place in Madhya Pradesh.

"The issue of sand mafia and illegal mining has hit the headlines since IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal has been victimised by the Uttar Pradesh government. However, the media has completely blacked out two instances of victimisation of upright Madhya Pradesh officials who tried to punish sand mining contractors," wrote the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister in his blog.

He has also highlighted that sand is a minor mineral, which has now become a money spinner for contractors, bureaucrats and politicians.

According to the blog, the right of sand auction and mining was with the "gram panchayat" (village self-government) and it also retained the royalties during the reign of Congress government. However, he has highlighted that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government took away the rights of the "gram panchayat" after coming to power.

He wrote: "Now, all the sand mines in the state have been allotted to the Madhya Pradesh State Mining Corporation and the BJP government is arbitrarily allotting these to its cronies."

According to Digvijaya Singh, sand mining is rampant in Nasrullaganj, a sub-division in Budhni which is Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's assembly constituency and also falls under Vidisha parliamentary constituency of senior party leader Sushma Swaraj.

The Congress leader has written: "Would the BJP leadership which claims to be against sand mafia seek clarification from Shivraj Singh Chouhan chief minister Madhya Pradesh and take action? Impossible! BJP is a master of double speak and a beneficiary of illegal mining."