I'm ready to prove conspiracy, Sushma Swaraj tells Sonia

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj on Friday charged the Congress with hatching a conspiracy to destabilise the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Karnataka and prop up the “tottering” Congress government in Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing the party's fifth and last janajagruti rally, organised here to counter the Congress' padayatra, Ms. Swaraj said she had all information that a person holding constitutional authority, whom she did not wish to name, had tried to woo the Reddy brothers, Janardhana Reddy and Karunakara Reddy, — both Ministers in Karnataka — to join the Congress. When the attempt failed, the Congress was up to its tricks to destabilise the first BJP government in the south.

“If AICC president Ms. Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh invite me to their house, I am ready to go there and give them all the details as to who are behind the conspiracy.” Ms. Swaraj wanted Ms. Gandhi to accept her claims as a challenge.

When the Reddy brothers rejected the Congress' offer, it came out with a series of programmes to defame and destabilise the BJP government, which included a padayatra.(The 320-km ‘Bellary chalo' padayatra was organised by the Congress to protest against the failure of the BJP government to check illegal mining of iron ore.)

Commending Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa for taking a bold decision on banning export of iron ore with the aim of protecting the resource, Ms. Swaraj sought to know what prevented the Congress, in its over six decades of its rule, from taking such measures.

“We are for a ban on exports of iron ore. If the Congress introduces a Bill [in Parliament] on banning exports of ore, then we are ready to support it even without discussion.” She wanted the UPA government to come out with legislation in this matter.

Senior leader M. Venkaiah Naidu said if the Union Government was concerned at the loot of iron ore, let it ban exports. “Congressmen have become fish out of water and have been striving hard to come back to power [in Karnataka], which is impossible. For, you [Congress] are for power and we [BJP] are for development and people have realised it.”

Ananth Kumar, MP and BJP general secretary, criticised the Congress MPs and Ministers representing the State for absenting themselves when the illegal mining issue was debated in the Lok Sabha. This exposed their hollow claim that they were concerned about protecting mineral resources.

Mr. Yeddyurappa; State BJP president K.S. Eshwarappa and Ministers Janardhan Reddy and B. Sriramulu spoke at the rally held on the Municipal School grounds.