Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna on Monday said there is no division within the ruling coalition in the State on the amendment to the Lokayukta Act or its replacement with another effective anti-corruption law.
“There is no contradiction within the coalition on amendment to the Lokayukta Act or its substitution with another effective law to fight corruption,” he told reporters in Dehradun.
The Chief Minister was reacting to media reports suggesting there are differences within the ruling coalition on the issue.
Prominent members of the Progressive Democratic Front, a conglomerate of parties supporting the Congress-led alliance, did not attend a meeting convened by Mr. Bahuguna on the subject at his residence on Sunday, triggering speculation about fissures in the ruling coalition on the issue.
The PDF has seven members — three of the BSP, one of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, and three Independents — in the State assembly.
Noting the State government has time till December 28 to implement the Act which has already been given Presidential assent, Mr. Bahuguna said a meeting of Congress MLAs and those of allied parties has been convened on December 15 to discuss different aspects of the Act and take a final call on the issue.
“At the meeting, we will decide what amendments need to be made to the Act and why and also whether it needs to be replaced with a fresh law,” he said.
