Bhopal: The Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh is facing the music for patronizing political ‘Babas’ for trying to wean away from the Hindutva constituency nurtured by preceding Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Ruling Congress MLAs and ministers are questioning the credentials of Namdev Tyagi aka Computer Baba, who has, with ample support from the government, become the Chairman of Narmada Sewa Trust and has been carrying out raids to check unauthorized sand mining in state riverbeds. Mineral Minister Pradeep Jaiswal on Saturday questioned the Computer Baba’s authority to carry out the raids while the Mineral Department has authorized mining in some areas. The Baba is obviously encroaching upon the minister’s domain and Jaiswal said that he is pressurizing the officers and employees of the Department in the name of stopping illegal mining.
He also said the Baba has no knowledge of scientific factors involved in sand mining. He is criminalizing a legally sanctioned activity as mining contracts given by the panchayats are valid and his actions are causing confusion in the department, he added.
Jaiswal said a new mineral policy will come into force in the state from April 1 and will cover sand mining too. Illegal mining of sand and other minerals has never been a secret in the state. It prospered through the 15 years of the BJP government and has continued unabated under the Kamal Nath government for more than a year. (IANS)