Jaipur, Dec 23 (NationPress) The Rajasthan Congress chief, Govind Singh Dotasra, on Tuesday, launched a scathing criticism against the BJP-led administrations both at the Centre and in the state, claiming a meticulously orchestrated scheme to exploit the Aravalli mountain range.

While addressing a press conference at the Congress's state headquarters in Jaipur, Dotasra asserted that the nation’s natural resources are being “methodically plundered” and accused the BJP of executing its strategy to expose the Aravallis to the mining mafia. He contended that the report submitted by the Central government to the Supreme Court was crafted under duress and highlighted the BJP’s intent to obliterate the Aravalli range, which he referred to as the lifeblood of Rajasthan.

Dotasra warned that nearly 90 percent of the Aravalli range could face annihilation, with extensive areas allocated to mining enterprises. He further charged that the BJP intentionally assigned leaders from Alwar to pivotal roles to advance this agenda, citing Bhupender Yadav, the MP from Alwar, being appointed as Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Sanjay Sharma’s designation as Rajasthan’s Forest Minister.

“An unseasoned individual has been granted power in the state, making it unlikely for him to exercise independent judgment and instead comply with arbitrary central decisions,” Dotasra remarked.

Referring to the BJP’s election manifesto, he accused the party of pledging a “green corridor” to safeguard the Aravallis, only to transform the region into an “illegal mining corridor.” Drawing parallels with the electoral bonds controversy, Dotasra suggested that mining leases would now be leveraged to extract funds from mafias and favored industrialists. He pointed out that Rajasthan already holds the highest number of mining leases in the nation and questioned the attempts to modify the Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH) area of Sariska, which the Supreme Court halted.

“The Supreme Court did not permit that attempt to proceed. That conspiracy received a formidable slap, and now a new conspiracy is in motion,” he stated.

Dotasra expressed alarm at the fact that in Rajasthan, the Chief Minister also oversees the Mining and Home portfolios, while the Union Environment Minister is also a resident of Rajasthan. “All of them have colluded. BJP leaders are steering towards the destruction of the Aravalli range, which symbolizes not just faith but also the ecological lifeline of the state,” he asserted.

He also lambasted BJP figures Arun Chaturvedi and Rajendra Rathore for making statements on the topic instead of the Mining Minister. Dotasra accused Chaturvedi, chairman of the Rajasthan Finance Commission, of functioning as a BJP spokesperson despite leading an autonomous constitutional body. “Political interference in such institutions should never be tolerated,” he emphasized.

Accusing the BJP of duplicity, Dotasra stated that the party solicits votes in the name of Sanatan Dharma while permitting mining in regions that host historic religious and cultural sites. He enumerated several shrines located in the Aravalli range, such as 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 centers of faith and worship. The destruction of their geographical and ecological surroundings is solely motivated by greed,” Dotasra alleged, asserting that the BJP “utilizes money to topple governments and seize power.”

He reiterated that Congress would persist in opposing any actions that jeopardize the Aravalli range and demanded complete transparency and accountability from both the Central and state governments.