The Congress has asked Home Minister Nankiram Kanwar to tender resignation for allegedly protecting his son Sandeep who violated laws framed for tribals regarding sale/purchase of lands. “Sandeep has purchased lands of tribal people on his name for proposed power plant of Videocon Industries Limited Mumbai in Janjgir-Champa and has given the payment through company’s cheque. Surprisingly, the HM has backed his son’s illegal activity which is no less than abetment in any grave crime. We strongly condemn the HM’s irresponsible attitude and seek his instant resignation,” said PCC president Nandkumar Patel, leader of Congress legislators’ party (CLP) Ravindra Choubey and parliamentarians Charandas Mahant & Ingrid Mcleod jointly on Tuesday.
They further slammed Chief Minister Raman Singh for remaining mum on the entire issue. “By keeping silent, the CM has confirmed that he wants to protect the HM and his son,” they charged.
The Congress has further demanded high-level inquiry into the bulk land purchase by the industrialists to establish power plants and sponge iron units. In this connection, a delegation of the party’s office-bearers would also submit a memorandum to Governor Shekhar Dutt on June 30. The Congress warned the BJP government of launching massive public movement if its demands would not be met.
The Congress leaders said the BJP government was forcibly acquiring agricultural lands from tribals and farmers in Raigarh, Janjgir-Champa and Korba districts and providing them to the industrialists at an incredibly low price. “The government is misusing the local administration and the police to exploit the tribals and farmers,” they said.
“By recruiting Sandeep as PRO, the Videocon had ulterior motives to misuse his influence in purchasing lands at extremely low rate,” the Congress leaders said.
“In Chhattisgarh, the non-tribals cannot purchase lands from tribals without Collector’s permission. For Videocon, it could have been an intricate process and to avoid the delay in land purchase work, it rather adopted simple route to rope in the HM’s son,” they said.
“According to state’s Land Acquisition Act, if any commercial establishment wants to purchase lands then it would have to pay Rs six lakh per acre for general agricultural land, Rs eight lakh per acre for single crop land and Rs ten lakh for double crop land. But Sandeep forcibly purchased agricultural lands from the farmers and tribals at the rate of two-three lakh per acre,” they informed.
“A number of other BJP leaders too are working as agents for industrialists and engaged in exploiting farmers and tribals in Raigarh, Janjgir-Champa and Korba districts,” they said.
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