Why Congress party's Mallikarjun Kharge boycotted Lokpal meet: 10 points

NEW DELHI: The leader of the largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha, the Congress's Mallikarjun Kharge, today rejected a 'special invite' by the government to attend a Lokpal selection meet chaired by the Prime Minister today.

Here are 10 reasons why he boycotted the meet called to finalise the selection of an ‘eminent jurist’ member on the Lokpal panel:

* Kharge was given a 'special invite' to the meet and he wasn't happy about that. Why? The Lokpal Act is yet to be amended to include the leader of the single largest opposition party in the selection committee of the Lokpal.

* To Kharge this smacks of a "concerted effort to exclude the voice of the Opposition".

* The Congress leader alleged that while the government has brought out amendments in other Acts to replace the "leader of Opposition" to "leader of single largest party" in opposition, it has not done so in the Lokpal Act.

* "I am the voice of all Opposition not just Congress. This bill continues to languish for want of appropriate intent, commitment and objectivity on part of the government. My presence without right of participation would be a mere eyewash," said Kharge to ANI news agency.

* The Congress leader has said that this negates the letter and spirit of the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2013, and accused the government of adopting this route as a "mere paper formality" rather than seek any meaningful and constructive participation.

*Kharge has also alleged that the conduct of this government only seeks to "diminish" the spirit and objective of appointment of Lokpal and deny the participation, voice and opinion of the opposition.

* Kharge said that if the government is serious about the appointment of the anti-corruption watchdog, it must bring an ordinance in the shape of an amending bill, which he also sent along with his letter.

* "May I say that such myopic actions belie the spirit of nation building, more so while constituting an institution like the Lokpal. A more apt and statesman like conduct is expected from the prime minister of the country," he said.

"In these circumstances, I must respectfully decline the invite as 'special invitee' to uphold the inviolability of The Lokpal Act, 2013, as the current proceedings have reduced a sacred procedure to a political pretence," he said in a letter to the Prime Minister, tweeted by the Congress.