Press Briefing Wednesday, 14th Jul 2010

Shri Abhishek Singhvi addressed the media today.

Shri Abhishek Singhvi said it is difficult to believe that in a country like ours which we proudly govern by rule of law, what I am going to describe now, can truly happen. Karnataka is non-governed by the mafia, it is non-governed by the colluders by protectors who have become predators with impunity. There is a complete failure of constitutional machinery. There is no governance as per law. The guardians have become the looters. To prove his contention, Shri Singhvi gave the following example:

Many of these facts are also documented in a 2000 page report. These are not Congress Party's allegations, these are not political allegations. In about four months i.e. from November 2009 to February 2010, 35 lakh Tonnes of iron ore has gone out illegally from the State i.e. 3.5 million tonnes i.e. 1/10th of the full annual production of the State of Karnataka of iron ore. Karnataka has India's largest production of iron ore. It produces 35 million Tonnes per year. In one year 1/10th is illegally scrumptiously siphoned away.  The global price of iron ore is about US$ 130 per tonne. I am taking it as 100 US$ per tonne. If we multiply 100 US$ per tonne with 35 lakh tonnes, it comes to 350 Million US Dollars i.e. 35 Crore  US Dollars i.e. 1,750 Crores in Indian Rupees. The iron ore has to come out of the earth. After coming out of earth, it has to go through at least 1,000 checks. The Mines & Mineral Development Act, 7 Check Posts, officials of Mining Department, Geology Department, Forest Department and Port authorities - so 100s of check points, statutes, rules & regulations and an army of officials - all these Departments except for Ports are departments under the Hon'ble Chief Minister of the State of Karnataka. About 5- 8 lakh tonnes just temporarily and luckily got seized. How was it seized? It was found lying hidden in the port about to be exported. Mr. R. Gokul, Deputy Conservator of Forests seized it. That person who enforced the law and seized the unaccounted iron-ore is suspended for enforcing the law. Who suspends him-Hon'ble Minister for Ports?  Mr. Janardan Reddy is the Mining & Geology Minister. After the seized goods are kept, Port Conservator who is In-Charge of the entire Port, in writing says, I cannot safeguard this ore. I cannot undertake to make sure that this ore is not managed. What is all this happening? The answer is welcome to 'Goonda Raj' in Karnataka. The Chief Minister is helpless or more likely he is willfully complicit, willfully, intentionally, knowingly complicit. The constitutional machinery is impotent. The law is supine. Now you are going to have lots of nice dramas about enquiries, about investigations and look at the blatant conflict of interests - people with direct conflict of interests are holding portfolios. This is the classic example of predators in place of protectors or protectors becoming predators. There is a well known old joke - which applies - what do you expect when you make Dracula the head of the Blood Bank. What will happen when Dracula will be the head of the Blood Bank and everybody is watching when nothing is happening in Karnataka? Welcome to the new age definition of democracy by the new age BJP. The new age BJP's definition of new age democracy is governance or rather non-governance by the money, non-governance of the money,  non- governance for the money. Ultimately we are all ashamed, India is shamed.

To a question how all this had happened despite the presence of Customs and Navy, Shri Singhvi said that Navy and Customs are not dealing with it. Multiple check-posts of the State Government are dealing with it. Each Department of the State Government which has to sign the slips has to control, regulate and scrutinize every movement. It is the State Government which has admitted that nobody except officials is concerned. But if this is so, the State Government rather the Chief Minister is either incompetent or collusively complicit. Shri Singhvi further said that the Chief Minister should immediately suspend and remove complicit officials and remove Ministers who have conflict of interests.

Chief Minister of Karnataka should also declare that he is setting up independent commission of enquiry and going to refer the matter to CBI for criminal proceedings. The BJP not only the Chief Minister but the BJP as a party and  Chief Minister as constitutional authority - have both vigorously opposed any enquiry by the CBI. They have followed the typical path of shooting the messenger, attacking the messenger, ignoring the substance and the content of the message. This is day light robbery and loot and all of us should be vigilant and extremely outrage about it.

On the reaction of the Congress Party over the arrest of the Gujarat Minister, Shri Singhvi said that this is an extremely serious issue but at the same time it is a subjudiced matter. Shri Singhvi further said that this is a Supreme Court investigation and under their orders the CBI and other SITs are looking into the matter.  They already have categorical evidence that at least Abhay Chudasama Banjara and several other police officials collusively and deliberately eliminated Sohrabuddin and even Prajapati in fake non-existent encounter. Shri Singhvi said that now incriminating serious evidence is emerging. It is extremely serious because in two BJP States, in two different scenarios - one economic and one physical - you have classical cases of protectors becoming predators.

To a question whether the scam in Karnataka is the biggest scams of the recent times, Shri Singhvi said I am not here to discuss the issue of competitive scam as the media makes it. I am certainly very critical of trivializing the serious issues.

To a question whether Centre is going to invoke Article 356 in Karnataka,  Shri Singhvi said we are not going to make them martyrs or objects of sympathy. This has nothing to do with Article 356. It is to do with complete breakdown of the normal rules or running the State.

On further question whether the Governor of Karnataka is also breaching the constitutional mandate by openly going public; Shri Singhvi said that this is a classic example of what I had said earlier. The Governor of the State is fully within his constitutional rights to address, to meet and to talk with the President of India, which is what he has done, the Prime Minister and the Home Minister of India and Chief Minister of the State. This does not indicate any talk or proposal for enforcement of Article 356 in the State of Karnataka.

Tom Vadakkan

Secretary, AICC