Who is Basava Rayareddy? How Siddaramaiah aide's sand mafia claims gave BJP firepower to attack Karnataka government

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's economic advisor Basavaraj Rayareddy accused officials in the state of protecting the sand mafia, which has resulted in a loss of Rs 400 crore to the exchequer annually.

Who is Basavaraj Rayareddy?

Basavaraj Rayareddy is a six-time MLA who currently represents Yelburga. He defeated BJP's Halappa Basappa Achar in the 2023 election. In the past he has served as higher education minister and housing department minister.

In a letter addressed to the CM, Rayareddy said the officials are hand in glove with the sand mafia.

"Corrupt officials and the sand mafia are hand in glove, looting the state’s natural resources. If we can efficiently collect income tax and GST, why not ensure royalty collection on sand?" he said.

He then urged the Siddaramaiah government to implement a transparent system to eliminated middlemen so that homeowners can pay the royalty directly to the government for sand used for construction.

Suggesting the formation of a task force headed by the deputy commissioner to monitor illegal mining, Rayareddy said 100 to 150 trucks of sand and jellystones are transported illegally every day from the Tungabhadra river.

Rayareddy went on to claim that around 200 people are involved in the racket and alleged that corrupt officials from the Mines and Geology Department are the masterminds of the scam. He sought stringent action against 10 officials, including Senior Geologist Pushpalatha. Some of these officers have been serving in the same areas for more than 10 years and hence should be transferred immediately, he demanded.

BJP leader R. Ashoka slammed the Congress government, saying Siddaramaiah's own advisor exposed the Rs 400 crore sand mining scam. "The truth can no longer be hidden," he posted on X.

"This is not governance, this is organised loot," he said, adding that the government allowed the mafia to thrive in "broad daylight".

India