Thousands of Congress workers led by senior party leader Ajay Maken on Sunday staged protests at all the 14 District Congress Committees in the national capital demanding that the AAP government immediately constitute a Lokpal for Delhi.
Stating that “in the absence of Lokpal, there is no proper forum to inquire into corruption charges against AAP ministers and MLAs”, Mr. Maken warned that Congress would intensify its stir and take it to every Assembly constituency and ward if the anti-corruption watchdog was not constituted within 15 days.
Referring to AAP’s first stint in power in Delhi, Mr. Maken said that although its government had resigned after 49 days alleging that it was not being allowed to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party was now cagey about constituting a Lokpal after returning at the helm for a second time.
He exhorted Congress workers to wage a relentless battle till the ruling AAP - which he claimed had boasted it would eradicate corruption in Delhi - constituted a Lokpal.
Mr. Maken alleged Mr. Kejriwal knows very well that if the Lokpal is constituted its own ministers and MLAs, accused of forged degrees, frauds and other crimes, and would be the first to be in the dock.
He further said that even Mr. Kejriwal would not be able to escape the clutches of law for appointing 21 parliamentary secretaries on high salaries and other government perks without following proper norms and rules.
“What is holding up the AAP government, which has come back to power with absolute majority, from constituting the Lokpal now?
“Now that AAP is about to complete six months in power on August 14, there is not only no sign of its constituting the Lokpal, there is also no move either to appoint a Lokayukta, which was functioning during Congress rule in Delhi,” he said, adding that the Lokayukta’s post has been lying vacant ever since November, 2013, when Justice Sarin demitted office.
