"Why is Naveen babu silent on the subject? Is it that he does not agree with the Shah Commission findings that large- scale irregularities and revenue loss took place under his watch as the CM during the last 15 years? Who is he trying to protect?" the former PCC president said in a statement here.
Stating that the CBI probe must go beyond the lease holders, the Congress leader noted that the former were the known legal entities and irregularities committed by them can be computed and accountability fixed.
They have paid neither any royalty nor income tax and there is no way they can be held accountable under either Income Tax Act or under the Mining Rules, he said, adding that such operators were known among the public as the 'mining mafia'. They have not come under the scrutiny of Shah Commission, he added.
Those arrested in connection with charges of irregularity were now out on bail and funding political parties with hopes of playing a big role in the next general elections, he said.
The state government should promulgate a new ordinance to bring the wealth of mining mafia under scrutiny, he demanded.