Rajasthan Congress criticises BJP over Aravalli range row
Jaipur: Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra on Tuesday launched a attack on the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in the state, alleging a well-planned conspiracy to plunder the Aravalli mountain range.
Addressing the media at the state Congress headquarters in Jaipur, Dotasra claimed that the country’s natural resources are being “systematically looted” and accused the BJP of completing its plan to open the Aravallis to the mining mafia. He alleged that the report submitted by the Central government to the Supreme Court was prepared under pressure and reflected the BJP’s intent to destroy the Aravalli range, which he described as the lifeline of Rajasthan.
Dotasra warned that nearly 90 per cent of the Aravalli range could be destroyed, with vast stretches handed over to mining interests. He further alleged that the BJP deliberately appointed leaders from Alwar to key positions to facilitate this agenda, citing Bhupender Yadav, MP from Alwar, being made Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Sanjay Sharma’s appointment as Rajasthan’s Forest Minister.
“An inexperienced person has been given power in the state so that he cannot exercise independent judgment and instead complies with arbitrary decisions taken by the Centre,” Dotasra said.
Referring to the BJP’s election manifesto, he accused the party of promising a “green corridor” to protect the Aravallis but instead turning the region into an “illegal mining corridor.” Drawing a parallel with the electoral bonds controversy, Dotasra claimed that mining leases would now be used to extract donations from mafias and favoured industrialists. He pointed out that Rajasthan already has the highest number of mining leases in the country and questioned the attempt to alter the Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH) area of Sariska, which the Supreme Court blocked.
“The Supreme Court did not allow that attempt to succeed. That conspiracy received a strong slap, and now a new conspiracy is underway,” he said.
Dotasra expressed concern that in Rajasthan, the Chief Minister also holds the Mining and Home portfolios, while the Union Environment Minister is also from Rajasthan. “All of them have conspired together. BJP leaders are moving towards destroying the Aravalli range, which is not just a symbol of faith but also the ecological lifeline of the state,” he alleged.
He also criticised BJP leaders Arun Chaturvedi and Rajendra Rathore for issuing statements on the issue instead of the Mining Minister. Dotasra accused Chaturvedi, chairman of the Rajasthan Finance Commission, of acting like a BJP spokesperson despite heading an autonomous constitutional body. “There should never be political interference in such institutions,” he said.
Accusing the BJP of hypocrisy, Dotasra said the party seeks votes in the name of Sanatan Dharma while allowing mining in areas that house historic religious and cultural sites. He listed several shrines located in the Aravalli range, including Parshuram Mahadev (Pali), Harshnath (Sikar), Pandupole Hanuman Temple and Neelkanth Mahadev (Alwar), Galta and Khole Ke Hanumanji (Jaipur), Eklingji and Rishabhdev (Udaipur), Lohargal (Jhunjhunu), Delwara, Achalgarh, and Kumbhalgarh.
“These temples are our centres of faith and worship. Destroying their geographical and ecological surroundings is being done purely for money,” Dotasra alleged, adding that the BJP “uses money to topple governments and seize power.”
He reiterated that Congress would continue to oppose any move that threatens the Aravalli range and demanded full transparency and accountability from both the Central and state governments.
