Seeking to underline his contribution in the latest revelations by Team Anna, founder-president of the Samaj Parivartan Samudaya S.R. Hiremath has claimed that he had provided the documents that allowed the anti-corruption crusaders to link External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna to the mining scam in Karnataka.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Mr. Hiremath said, “Last afternoon, I gave Prashant a copy of a letter written by an Officer on Special Duty [working under then Chief Minister S.M. Krishna] to the Mysore Minerals Ltd.”
Refusing to divulge the details of the letter, he said that the officer had written to the State-owned mining company directing it to allocate large quantities of high-quality Iron Ore to companies owned by a former cabinet colleague of Mr. Krishna. The ore was ultimately allocated at throwaway prices, he alleged. Responding to the former Lokayukta Santosh Hegde's contention that no material evidence could be found to directly link Mr. Krishna to the mining scam, he said, “Is it not enough that an Officer on Special Duty who used to report directly to the Chief Minister was involved? In such a scenario, who should take responsibility?”
Backing the allegations levelled by Team Anna against Mr. Krishna, he said, “Mr. Krishna laid the foundation for illegal mining in Karnataka.”
