Appointment of Lokpal an election gimmick: Kharge

M. Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, has termed the appointment of first Lokpal an election gimmick. He asked why the Centre had kept quiet on the issue for the last five years and suddenly made the appointment ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

He was speaking to presspersons in Kalaburagi on Sunday.

“The appointment of Lokpal ahead of the election is an attempt to mislead people by claiming that they [BJP] had done all they had promised. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should answer why he had not done it in the last four years. We had demanded a provision in the Lokpal Bill to accommodate the Leader of the Opposition or the leader of the second largest party in Parliament as a member of Lokpal. The ruling party did not allow it. The present appointment of Lokpal is not done with a commitment to fight corruption. It is just an election gimmick,” he said.

Criticising BJP’s

‘Main bhi chowkidar’ [I am also a watchman] campaign, Mr. Kharge verbally attacked the Prime Minister by once again calling him a thief. “Narendra Modi, who calls himself a chowkidar is, in fact, a ‘chor’. He is looting the country and distributing the loot among his corporate friends. Had he been a real watchman of the country, he would have protected our country and strived for the welfare of its people,” he said.

Terming the recently-introduced Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme an attempt to grab attention, he said Mr. Modi transferred ₹2,000 to each farmer keeping the imminent election in mind.

“The amount payable to a farmer under the scheme effectively translates into ₹16.40 a day. While claiming to be a pro-people Prime Minister, he is firmly standing for big corporate houses. There is no sense in calling him chowkidar,” he said.

Appointment of Lokpal an election gimmick: Kharge

Asks why the Centre had kept quiet on the issue for last 5 years

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