Chhattisgarh minister: Left to me, wouldn’t have given nod for mining

Addressing a gathering at an ongoing protest in the region, Singh Deo said, “You are addressing me as the CM; I am only an MLA. Had it been in my control, I would have not let mining happen in Hasdeo Aranya.”

Singh Deo, the only state minister to have met the protesters since they began a sit-in 95 days ago, said that he had spoken to the Sarguja district collector to hold a gram sabha again. Following the support extended from Sarguja district unit of the ruling Congress, Singh Deo went to the affected villages. He heard the protesters and said: “If people say they want a fresh gram sabha to decide whether they want mining, they should get a fresh gram sabha. I will suggest that only those from the affected area be given entry…”. He inspected the sites where there were claims of plantation in lieu of trees cut. “I didn’t find any plantations. This is the reason behind people’s anger…”