Bangalore: Facing increasing heat over allegations of illegal mining, Karnataka Minister of State for Information and Infrastructure Development Santosh Lad on Friday resigned, in the first political casualty of the six-month-old Congress government of the state.
Lad submitted his resignation letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who, sources said, had asked him to put in his papers and was also reportedly told by Governor H. R. Bhardwaj to drop the minister. Speaking to reporters after meeting Siddaramaiah, Lad said, "I voluntarily submitted my resignation to the Chief Minister. I have taken a moral stand in the interest of the party".
A mining baron from Bellary District, Lad, who earlier met President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee G Parameshwara, said both the latter and Siddaramaiah were "taken by surprise" by his decision to quit and "tried to console" him.
He said he wanted to avoid embarrassment to the party and the government, maintaining that there was no pressure from either the Chief Minister or the party's central leadership. Lad's resignation comes just two days before the winter session of the legislature is slated to begin on Monday, with the Opposition BJP and JDS preparing to put the government on the mat over the issue.
The move is seen as an attempt by the government to disarm the Opposition. The iron ore mining company in which the 38-year old Lad is partner is linked to another firm owned by his kith and kin which allegedly indulged in illegal mining. Lad had repeatedly denied that his company was engaged in illegal mining.
Lad had reportedly lobbied hard with the party central leadership to retain his ministership. Soon after his return from New Delhi, he met the Chief Minister for a brief while in the afternoon and his resignation came during the second meeting with Siddaramaiah that followed consultations with KPCC chief.
Putting Lad in the line of fire, the Opposition had targeted Siddaramaiah for retaining him, reminding him that during the BJP rule, he himself had gone on a padayatra to Bellary district which had become infamous for illegal mining.
Allegations against Lad, a three-time MLA, had once again brought to the fore the issue of illegal mining which had haunted the previous BJP government with the powerful and mighty Reddy brothers--Janardhana and Karunakara-- being accused of running a parallel government in Bellary district.
Janardhana Reddy is now in jail in Andhra Pradesh over an illegal mining case. The Lokayukta report on illegal mining had led to B. S. Yeddyurappa's resignation as Chief Minister in 2011. In the May Assembly elections, Lad who was in JDS before joining Congress, was re-elected from Kalghatgi.
