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BJP in favour of appointment of Lokayukta, says Uttarakhand BJP chief
The Uttarakhand’s BJP chief’s statement came after the alleged recruitment scam put the Pushkar Singh Dhami-led government under pressure to initiate tough measures against corruption
Uttarakhand Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Mahendra Bhatt’s statement that his party was in favour of appointment of Lokayukta to check corruption in the state has brought the matter into limelight again. The appointment of Lokayukta has been pending since 2013 in the state.
The first Lokayukta, justice (retd) Sha Raza served between 2002 and 2008 and the second Lokayukta, justice (retd) MM Ghildiyal served between 2008 and 2013, after which the position has remained vacant.
Bhatt said, “The Lokayukta Bill was tabled in the state assembly. The bill is currently before the select committee. Its report is awaited. Even today we are in favour of the appointment of Lokayukta. The government will act on the basis of the committee’s report.”
The BJP leader’s statement came in the aftermath of recent alleged recruitment scams that rocked the state, putting the Pushkar Singh Dhami-led government under pressure to initiate tough measures against corruption amid serious allegations levelled by the Congress. After the “irregularities” in the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) graduate level exam came to light, the government initiated action in other recruitment exams, subsequently entrusting the Uttarakhand Public Service Commission (UKPSC).
The Lokayukta Bill was referred to a select committee of the Vidhan Sabha in 2017. Since then, nothing much has been done.
The state unit of the Congress, however, questioned the government’s intention to appoint Lokayukta in the state.
Senior Congress leader and the party’s former state president, Pritam Singh, while speaking to a media channel, said, “In 2017, when the BJP came to power, the then chief minister said that they would appoint a Lokayukta in 100 days. It is unfortunate that their previous government completed its tenure of five years. And the BJP came into power again. However, we still don’t know where Lokayukta is.”
“It is right that the Lokayukta Bill was referred to the select committee. It, however, came back from the select committee. It’s now up to the government to introduce and pass the Lokayukta Bill in the Vidhan Sabha. The government seems to have no real intention to fight corruption. There have been regular complaints of corruption. Had there been Lokayukta in the state, there would have been control on corruption to enough extent. The BJP government seems to be not concerned about ending corruption from the state,” he added.
Officials of the government could not be contacted for remarks on the issue.
According to an RTI reply last year, in the absence of a Lokayukta in the state, the number of cases is piling up in the Lokayukta office. According to the RTI response, of the total complaints received in the last 21 years, as many as 1,595 had been still pending then.
