NCP slams govt handling of Guj Lokayukta issue

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), a key ally of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre, has strongly criticised the Congress’ handling of the appointment of Gujarat Lokayukta. It has also virtually made common cause with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the main Opposition, in this regard.

The BJP on Friday stalled proceedings in Parliament over the issue and demanded the recall of Gujarat Governor Kamala Beniwal for not consulting the state government in appointing the Lokayukta.

On August 26, Beniwal appointed R A Mehta, a retired Gujarat High Court judge, as the Lokayukta. The BJP-led state government challenged the constitutional propriety of Mehta’s appointment, and swiftly moved the high court.

Devi Prasad Tripathi, chief NCP spokesman and party general secretary, told Business Standard: “If there was a Congress chief minister in Gujarat, this would not have happened. We (the NCP) too are opposed to (Narendra) Modi but that doesn’t mean you can throw the constitution into the Arabian Sea.”

Indicting the Congress for its highhandedness, Tripathi said, “The appointment is against all constitutional proprietary. What was wrong in consulting the chief minister?”

On the Congress’ claim that the Gujarat government had failed to fill the Lokayukta’s post for seven and a half years, thus forcing the governor to make the appointment unilaterally, Tripathi said, “Was any letter written? There are conventions, there are modalities. Several state governments have appointed Lokayuktas. The chief minister or the council of ministers has been consulted in all cases. Would the Congress have allowed a governor to foist a Lokayukta on their government without the concurrence of the state government? This is a self-inflicted wound.

Adding: “This could have been avoided. The governor could have directed the chief minister to send the state government’s opinion on appointment of Lokayukta,” Tripathi said. The NCP is also an ally of the Congress in Maharashtra.