Fireworks over mining issue likely in House

Will the BJP allow Lok Sabha to function on Wednesday? That's the question doing the rounds as the Congress gears up to put the main opposition on the mat over the alleged involvement of its chief minister BS Yeddyurappa in the "mining lease, land deal and misuse of power" scam in Karnataka and the role of the mining barons — the Reddy brothers — who are reportedly close to Sushma Swaraj.

Will the BJP allow Lok Sabha to function on Wednesday? That's the question doing the rounds as the Congress gears up to put the main opposition on the mat over the alleged involvement of its chief minister BS Yeddyurappa in the "mining lease, land deal and misuse of power" scam in Karnataka and the role of the mining barons — the Reddy brothers — who are reportedly close to Sushma Swaraj.

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Until now, Swaraj and the BJP have been taking potshots at the UPA government in Parliament. The Congress hopes to turn the tables on the BJP when Lok Sabha takes up for discussion the demands for grants for the ministry of mines on Wednesday.

As the BJP is seen to be vulnerable on the issue, there is speculation that it might try to derail proceedings by raising Wikileaks or some other issue.

The Congress's no-holds-barred attack on the BJP will be launched by Sanjay Nirupam who has been vocal on the issue. Charan Das Mahant who comes from the mining region of Korba in Chhattisgarh and Bhakta Charan Das from Kalahandi in Orissa are also likely to participate in the debate.

The BJP's speakers include Hansraj Gangaram Ahri (Chandrapur, Maharashtra), Saroj Pande (Durg, Chhattisgarh) and Ravindra Kumar Pandey (Giridih, Jharkhand).

From the JD(S) it will either be former Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy or his father HD Deve Gowda, who had a long meeting with Parliamentary Affairs Minister P K Bansal on Tuesday.

The father-son duo has been targeting the Yeddyurppa government over the corruption and the mining issue, alleging that an educational trust run by CM's sons is accepting donations from land developers and mining barons in return for government favours.