The Congress on Tuesday charged the BJP with “misleading” the public on the Gujarat Lokayukta issue, which resulted in repeated adjournment of Parliament.
“The point is that the Gujarat government has gone to court and have taken the risk of testing the correctness of their stand … on what reason are they disrupting Parliament,” asked Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi.
Countering BJP arguments opposing the Lokayukta's appointment, Mr. Singhvi said the Lokayukta Act of Gujarat had no role for the Chief Minister or the Council of Ministers.
“The Act says that Lokayukta shall be appointed by the Governor in consultation with the High Court Chief Justice and the Leader of the Opposition,” he said and questioned the locus standi of the Modi government in objecting the appointment.
Mr. Singhvi denied the Centre favoured appointment of the Lokayukta in Gujarat. “We have the wisdom of Parliament; we have the impending wisdom which has still to come of the Standing Committee. Where is the question of us favouring and not favouring a State, which is a role model for obstructing the operationalisation of Lokayukta?”
Stating that the BJP's argument was nothing but an “over-clever method to mislead the world,” Mr. Singhvi said there were powers that the Governor exercised in her discretion and not acted on the advice of the Council of Ministers.
“Let the BJP answer on the appointment of Justice [retd.] R.A. Mehta as the Lokayukta of Gujarat and why do they give lectures from Delhi?” The Modi government was trying to avoid the appointment of Lokayukta and trying to get an appointee of his choice, the Congress spokesman said.
