By IANS,
Bangalore : The four-day stand off in Karnataka legislature between the government and the opposition over the latter’s demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into illegal mining ended Friday as the two houses were adjourned sine die after passing various bills amid slogan shouting.
“We have called off the dharna (sit-in) as the houses have been adjourned sine die. However, the fight against illegal mining will continue,” Congress and Janata Dal-Secular leaders T.B. Jayachandra and H.D. Revanna, respectively, told reporters.
Members of the two parties had begun the 24-hour sit-in Monday night demanding that the first Bharatiya Janata Party government in Karnataka agree to a CBI probe into massive illegal iron ore mining in the state.
Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa rejected the demand and stuck to his stand of a probe by the state Lok Ayukta (ombudsman) N. Santosh Hegde, a retired Supreme Court judge.
Yeddyurappa met Governor H.R. Bhardwaj, who returned here late Thursday after briefing the central government about the illegal mining and related issues, and informed him that entrusting the probe to CBI will only delay the findings.
The chief minister told reporters that he had informed the governor “that now it is not proper to entrust the probe to CBI as it would further delay the enquiry process”.
Yeddyurappa, who was accompanied by Home Minister V.S. Acharya and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister S. Suresh Kumar, said he had apprised Bhardwaj of the conduct of opposition parties in the legislature.
The chief minister said he plans to meet President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi Saturday or Sunday to brief them about the situation in the state.
Bhardwaj had met both Patil and Singh during his visit to Delhi.
State Congress president R.V. Deshpande and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah were in Delhi Friday, briefing their party leaders about their plans to continue the agitation for a CBI probe.