The Congress leader took exception to granting of new leases for mines in Rajasthan by the Sharma-led BJP government in November last month, terming it violation of the Supreme Court directives.
File Photo: IANS
Centre’s assurance of protecting entire Aravallis by clamping a complete ban on issuance of mining leases and expanding protected zone proved ineffective to cease verbal duel between Rajasthan Chief Minister BhajanLal Sharma and his predecessor Ashok Gehlot.
The Congress leader took exception to granting of new leases for mines in Rajasthan by the Sharma-led BJP government in November last month, terming it violation of the Supreme Court directives.
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Chief Minister Sharma hailed the Union Environment and Forests Ministry’s official statement issued on Wednesday as a historic move by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure protection of the Aravalli range while Gehlot called it “headline management”.
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The chief minister said the decision taken on the PM’s initiative would result in a total ban on issuance of new mining leases along the entire mountain range, identification of new (more) eco-sensitive zones and preparation of a plan for sustainable mining management. “Hence, the Opposition Congress should shun negative, misleading, and falsehood-based politics and deal with the public honestly,” he added.
However, expressing his dissatisfaction with the Centre’s public statement, Gehlot said, “The government of India’s prohibition on states issuing new leases in the Aravallis until the ‘Management Plan for Sustainable Mining’ (MPSM) is developed through ICFRE is merely compliance with sub-point (v) of point 50 of the Supreme Court’s order. There is nothing new in it,” the senior Congress leader quipped.
“Central government is only publicising it for ‘headline management’, but in this era of the internet, it is not easy to mislead the public,” Gehlot has written satirically in post on his ‘X’ handle last night in response to the statement of the Environment and Forests Ministry.
The three-time former chief minister also pointed at the contradiction in the stands taken by Union Environment and Forest Minister Bhupendra Yadav and CM Sharma.
He expressed deep outrage over the issuance of new mining leases in the Aravallis despite clear instructions from the Supreme Court.
He alleged while the Union government claims to protect the Aravallis, the BJP government in Rajasthan is flouting the Supreme Court’s orders. Gehlot has quoted Union Minister Yadav as saying, “As per the Supreme Court order, no new mining leases will be granted on any Aravalli hills (above or below 100 meters) until the MPSM is ready. However, on November 14, 2025, the Rajasthan government initiated the process for 126 new mining leases (Order No: Nide/A.Kh.A. Auction/Auction (ML 10)/2025/E-13327), of which 50 leases are there in 9 districts within the Aravalli range: Jaipur, Alwar, Jhunjhunu, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Ajmer, Sikar, Pali, and Beawar.
Despite the top court verdict on November 20, the auction process for the 50 leases was not stopped. Instead, an order was issued on November 30, 2025, certifying that despite being in the Aravalli range, these 50 leases are “not part of the Aravallis.”
The former chief minister questioned the basis on which the Rajasthan government is continuing the auctions when the Supreme Court has explicitly banned new leases without an MPSM. The government conducted the auctions in December by arguing in the High Court that these hills are below 100 meters and thus do not fall under the Aravallis, whereas the Supreme Court’s MPSM decision applies to hills both above and below 100 meters. This is not only against the intent of the Supreme Court’s verdict but is a major conspiracy to erase the existence of the Aravallis. “This is an example of how technical loopholes will be sought in the coming days to attempt mining across the entire Aravalli under the guise of the Supreme Court’s verdict,” Gehlot wrote.
He said while Chief Minister Sharma has been delivering speeches on saving the Aravallis for two days, saints and seers are protesting against illegal mining in Deeg of his home district, Bharatpur. “The Aravallis is not safe in his native region, yet he is giving sermons elsewhere,” Gehlot pointed out.
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