Mining issue: Who is Gadkari to overrule Goa govt, asks Sena

The Shiv Sena today criticised Union Minister Nitin Gadkari for 'overruling' the state government's decision to file a review petition against the Supreme Court's decision on mining.

The mining activity in Goa has come to a standstill after the apex court quashed second renewal of 88 mining leases. Gadkari visited the state earlier this month to work out a solution to the crisis.

"The State Cabinet Advisory Committee had decided to file a review petition in the mining matter. But suddenly Gadkari arrived and announced that a legal opinion would be taken before filing the petition," Sena's Goa spokesperson Rakhi Prabhudesai Naik said in a statement here.

What authority Gadkari had to overrule the decision taken by the Cabinet Advisory Committee appointed by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar (who is undergoing treatment in the US), she asked.

"Gadkari has no right to act like a de-facto chief minister of Goa and act against the Cabinet Advisory Committee," Naik added.

"The BJP is not able to provide a solution to the mining crisis which is its own creation," Naik said.

Gadkari's visit to the state and the "drama" of holding meetings with industry stakeholders, ruling coalition partners and BJP leaders was merely an eyewash to avoid a backlash from the people dependent on mining, the Sena leader alleged.

Gadkari, after holding meetings over the mine closure issue, had announced that further steps would be taken after seeking a legal opinion.