Drafted Lok Ayukta Bill 'toothless', says Khanduri

In a scathing attack on the Congress government in Uttarakhand, former chief minister B C Khanduri on Wednesday said it was trying to make the Lok Ayukta "toothless and ineffective" with the new legislation and lacked the will to fight corruption.

The amended Lok Ayukta Bill drafted on the lines of the Lok Pal Bill, passed by the Parliament during the second term of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA-II), got the state Cabinet's nod on Wednesday.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Khanduri, during whose tenure the first Lok Ayukta Bill was passed, questioned the intention of the Congress government in revoking the measure and then bringing a revised version.

Khanduri also said his Lok Ayukta Act was modelled upon Anna Hazare's vision of Lok Pal, which kept the chief minister and the higher judiciary under the ambit of the anti-corrupotion law. He said the amended Bill reflected the state government's lack of will to create an effective anti-corruption watchdog. "The state government is afraid of constituting a Lok Ayukta because it is aware of the level of corruption prevailing in its ranks." he said.

There was a day-long discussion in the state Assembly on the draft of the Bill during my time. The changes suggested by Congress MLAs were also incorporated into the final draft which was unanimously passed by the House with support from the Opposition Congress," Khanduri told reporters here.

"The President gave his ascent to the bill after nearly two years of legal consultations. Still, Bahuguna government felt the need to revoke it and replace it with a new one," he said.

Khanduri also said his Lok Ayukta Act was modelled upon Anna Hazare's vision of Lok Pal, which kept the chief minister and the higher judiciary under the ambit of the anti-corrupotion law.

"The state government is afraid of constituting a Lok Ayukta because it is aware of the level of corruption prevailing in its ranks. Unnecessary amendments to the Bill are just part of its plan to make the institution toothless and ineffective," he said.

However, Khanduri said those who want corruption to be eliminated from society did not have anything to fear as the Narendra Modi government at the Centre is prepared to fight it at all levels.