Congress’ Mallikarjun Kharge to boycott Lokpal selection panel meet 4th time

Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, will boycott the meeting of the Lokpal selection committee, scheduled for Tuesday, according to a letter he wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi informing him about his decision.

Kharge’s fourth refusal to attend the meeting this year is due to the same reason he said he was unable to attend on previous three occasions — the government has called him to the selection panel’s meeting as a “special invitee”, which does not give the person the right to participate, record an opinion or vote.

“Perhaps, the government intends the outcome in order to create another strawman to attack by suggesting that the opposition is not cooperating in implementing the Lokpal Act, Kharge wrote on August 18.

Holding the process of appointing the anti-corruption ombudsman as “vitiated”, Kharge wrote, “The people... are wise enough to see through this insincerity of the government where instead of genuinely involving the opposition, an invitation as special invitee without rights of participation, recording of opinion or voting is being sent out...” He said he won’t attend the meeting until such time the leader of the largest Opposition party is conferred the status of a “full-fledged” member as envisioned in the 2013 Act.

First Published: Aug 20, 2018 23:34 IST