The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the appointment of Justice R. A. Mehta as Lokayukta by the Gujarat Governor, Kamla Beniwal, has cheered the Congress. The ruling party has accused the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party of indulging in doublespeak in the issue of fighting corruption.
The Congress said the State Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to challenge the appointment of the Lokayukta proved that the BJP was indulging in doublespeak.
“This shows the double face of BJP. They want Lokpal at the Centre but oppose Lokpal in Gujarat,” Congress spokesperson Rahid Alvi said.
Another spokesperson and Minister, Manish Tewari, asked the BJP to explain why the Government of Gujarat been “so diffident and reluctant” in having an oversight mechanism. The party also hoped that once the Lokayukta begins functioning in the State, truth in corruption cases will come out before the nation. The BJP, however, said primacy of the Cabinet decision should be upheld in all cases except those in which the Governor has discretionary powers or where a collegium decides on the appointment. The party’s chief spokesperson, Ravi Shankar Prasad, said the Congress was desperate to find an issue against Modi. “This is a cry of desperation from Congress. They have been roundly defeated in Gujarat five times of which three times were under Modi… After the convincing defeat in the recent elections, Congress should learn to be patient,” Prasad told reporters.