NDA's claim for strong, effective Lokpal 'much beyond truth'

NCP general secretary Tariq Anwar today alleged that NDA's claim about being in favour of a strong and effective Lokpal was much beyond the truth.

NCP general secretary Tariq Anwar on Thursday alleged that NDA's claim about being in favour of a strong and effective Lokpal was much beyond the truth.

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He told reporters that the NDA government in Bihar which had been advocating for freeing the proposed Lokpal bill from government intervention for "cheap popularity and politics of vote bank," had actually not freed the institution from governmental control.

The NCP leader alleged that the government's role was important in selection of Lokayukta in Bihar as most of those who would figure in the list would be appointees of chief minister Nitish Kumar.

He also castigated the state government for allegedly bringing the Lokayukta bill with safeguards for chief minister and other ministers.

Anwar also alleged that the BJP-JD(U) talk of checking corruption "is just a political issue as their intentions are not pure to weed out corruption".

The BJP, he said, was misleading the people on the issue of corruption and Lokpal.

He also slammed BJP for its decision to include sacked Uttar Pradesh minister Babu Ram Kushwaha.

The NCP leader further said that the Lokpal bill mooted by the Centre was far better than the Lokayukta legislation passed in Bihar.