NDA government does not want Lokpal: Congress
NEW DELHI: The Congress today accused the BJP-led NDA government of not wanting the Lokpal in place as it did not want any accountability and said it was engaging in "doublespeak" on the issue.
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the present government is not appointing the Lokpal on the basis of "frivolous, flimsy and trivialised excuses" even while the Act is in place since 2014.
He said the President gave his assent to the Bill on January 6, 2014, and even though the Act is in place for the last 36 months this government has not taken further action.
"In 36 months, has a small finger been wagged by BJP to operationalise Lokpal. The government does not want Lokpal because it does not want accountability," he said.
He said this is something that could have happened in a few moments by way of an amendment in the Lok Sabha, as has been done in other cases.
When asked, he said the government has stated that there are issues and it is waiting to sort out the issue of Leader of Opposition (LOP) in the Lok Sabha.
The Congress leader said the state of Gujarat from where the Prime Minister hails, has had no Lokayukta since 2003 with appointments blocked by the state BJP government.
"What Mr Modi perfected in Gujarat is what he is implementing in Delhi," Singhvi said.
He claimed the UPA government did all the work on Lokpal in 2011 itself.
"It was BJP which delayed and got it referred in the Rajya Sabha to a Select Committee," he said.
A joint Drafting Committee was formed in 2011 and the UPA introduced the Bill in 2011 itself and the Standing Committee submitted its report by end of the year.
Singhvi said there are three things in the world that deserve no mercy - hypocrisy, fraud and tyranny - and "On two counts, this government and then Opposition, on Lokpal, do qualify".
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the present government is not appointing the Lokpal on the basis of "frivolous, flimsy and trivialised excuses" even while the Act is in place since 2014.
He said the President gave his assent to the Bill on January 6, 2014, and even though the Act is in place for the last 36 months this government has not taken further action.
"In 36 months, has a small finger been wagged by BJP to operationalise Lokpal. The government does not want Lokpal because it does not want accountability," he said.
He said this is something that could have happened in a few moments by way of an amendment in the Lok Sabha, as has been done in other cases.
When asked, he said the government has stated that there are issues and it is waiting to sort out the issue of Leader of Opposition (LOP) in the Lok Sabha.
The Congress leader said the state of Gujarat from where the Prime Minister hails, has had no Lokayukta since 2003 with appointments blocked by the state BJP government.
"What Mr Modi perfected in Gujarat is what he is implementing in Delhi," Singhvi said.
He claimed the UPA government did all the work on Lokpal in 2011 itself.
"It was BJP which delayed and got it referred in the Rajya Sabha to a Select Committee," he said.
A joint Drafting Committee was formed in 2011 and the UPA introduced the Bill in 2011 itself and the Standing Committee submitted its report by end of the year.
Singhvi said there are three things in the world that deserve no mercy - hypocrisy, fraud and tyranny - and "On two counts, this government and then Opposition, on Lokpal, do qualify".
