Jaipur, Dec. 22 -- Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the BJP over the Aravalli conservation row, accusing Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav and BJP leader Rajendra Rathore of issuing misleading statements to cover up the state government's alleged nexus with the mining mafia, asserting that official records and court orders expose the truth. Gehlot said it is a fact that in 2003, an expert committee had recommended a '100-metre' definition from hill bases in the Aravalli region, citing livelihood and employment concerns. This recommendation was placed before the Supreme Court by the then state government through an affidavit on February 16, 2010. However, the Supreme Court rejected this definition within three days, on February 19, 2010. "Respecting the judiciary's order in letter and spirit, the Congress government accepted the verdict and proceeded with scientific mapping of the Aravalli range through the Forest Survey of India (FSI)," he said. Gehlot underlined that the Congress government was the first to take serious steps to curb illegal mining in the Aravallis. "Remote sensing and satellite imagery were deployed to detect violations, with a budget of Rs.7 crore allocated for surveys across 15 districts. To ensure accountability, direct responsibility for preventing illegal mining was assigned to collectors and superintendents of police." Gehlot asked why the present BJP government in Rajasthan supported and recommended the same '100-metre' definition in 2024 to a committee of the central government, despite it having been categorically rejected by the top court 14 years earlier. "Was there pressure on the government, or is there a bigger game at play?" he asked. He said during the Congress government's tenure from 2019 to 2024, penalties worth Rs.464 crore were recovered from illegal miners - more than double the Rs.200 crore recovered during the 2013 to 2018 BJP regime....