Congress today attacked the BJP for using "brute majority" to get the "draconian" Lokayukta Bill passed by the Gujarat Assembly.
"The Gujarat Lokayukta Aayog Bill negates and questions all the principles of neutrality," Congress spokesman P C Chacko told reporters here dubbing the legislation as "very draconian".
"A chief minister appointed committee is going to decide the fate of Lokayukta in Gujarat. That shows the double talk of the principal opposition party of India, their approach to corruption and anti-corruption legislation," he said.
The Bill, passed two years after Governor Kamala Beniwal returned a Lokayukta amendment bill, proposes to give all the powers of the appointment to a selection committee headed by Chief Minister and wants the Governor to act on its recommendations. The Chief Justice virtually has no role under the new bill.
Under the existing Lokayukta Act, the power of selection of Lokayukta rests with the Governor and the Chief Justice of the state High Court.
"We were so sincere and serious about passing the Lokpal. Those who opposed the Lokpal and the liberal provisions of the Lokpal in the Rajya Sabha, they used brute majority in the (Gujarat) Assembly to push through a Bill which negates and questions all the principles of neutrality," Chacko said.
The new Bill came after the state government lost a bitter fight legally and politically when Governor Kamala Beniwal bypassed the state government and appointed Justice R A Mehta as the state Lokayukta. The appointment was upheld by the High Court as well as Supreme Court in January this year.
