April 26, 2024 16:30 (IST)
Follow us:
UPA's haste will destroy Lokpal credibility: Jaitley
New Delhi, Apr 20 (IBNS): Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley on Sunday said that the UPA government's "unholy haste" in the appointment of a Lokpal will destroy its credibility.
"It would be a gross political impropriety and violation of the Code of Conduct, if the UPA would rush through its appointment at this stage. Besides this, the procedure is legally a suspect. Such unholy haste will destroy the credibility of the Lok Pal even before it is formed," Arun Jaitley wrote in his blog.
He asked for the process to be stopped immediately.
"This procedure should be stopped immediately. The effort of the Prime Minister’s office to convene a meeting of the Selection Committee for filling up the vacancies of the Search Committee should not be allowed to succeed," his blog said.
He said the Lokpal appointment controversy "refuses to die."
"The UPA government has framed rules under the Lok Pal Act. The rules prima facie run contrary to the Act. This is already a subject matter of a challenge before the Supreme Court," Jaitley noted.
"Half the elections in the country have been completed. 26 days are remaining for the declaration of the results and the formation of a new government. Is it proper for the UPA, on the eve of its certain departure, to rush through with the appointment of the Lok Pal? Certainly not," the BJP leader wrote.
"On the eve of the announcement of the elections, the UPA government decided to rush through with the appointment of the Chairperson of the Lok Pal and its members. A Search Committee was hurriedly appointed. The Department of Personnel usurped the power of the Search Committee and prepared a short list of persons from whom the appointments would to be made," he wrote.
"Everyone including some distinguished members of the Search Committee were uneasy about the procedure being followed. Two eminent members Fali S. Nariman and Justice K.T.Thomas resigned from the Search Committee citing this as the reason," Jaitley claimed in his blog.
The senior BJP leader did not even spare Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and said he must introspect over the issue.
"While Dr.Manmohan Singh is now in a retirement mode, he must seriously introspect if this unholy haste in pushing a Lok Pal on the eve of certain departure is implemented, he will only be remembered as Prime Minister who subverted institutions at the behest of his party leadership," Jaitley wrote.
"Even now if he tries to act with unholy haste, the entire democratic system of India is strong enough not to permit him to succeed. The Prime Minister has nothing to lose except some residual creditability," his blog said.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Latest Headlines
Sikkim Chief Minister creates political record Sat, May 17 2014
Narendra Modi sweeps India Fri, May 16 2014
TRS set to form government in Telangana Fri, May 16 2014
Gujarat NRE Coke congratulates Modi Fri, May 16 2014
Modi thanks voters for landslide support Fri, May 16 2014
Modi's role in BJP victory needs to be assessed: Advani Fri, May 16 2014
Narendra Modi: The Tea-seller Who Earned It Fri, May 16 2014
PDP bags all 3 seats in Kashmir Fri, May 16 2014
Rajnath seeks Vajpayee's blessings, heads for Lucknow Fri, May 16 2014