Rahul Gandhi slams govt over continued delay in Lokpal appointment

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday hit out at the Modi government over continued delay in appointment of Lokpal, even four years after the enactment of the law for setting up the institution, asking how long will it "blow the tune of falsehood".

"Four years have gone by, but the Lokpal has not come. The public is asking only one question, till when will you blow the tune of falsehood?

"Are the 'defenders of democracy' and 'harbingers of accountability' listening?" he asked in tweets using '#FindingLokpal' as hashtag.

Under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, ombudsmen are to be appointed at the Centre and in states for inquiring into allegations of corruption against public functionaries.

Gandhi also highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tweet of December 2013 on the passage of the Lokpal Bill when the Congress-led UPA was in power at the Centre and he was the Gujarat chief minister.

Modi had then tweeted, "Am very proud of the positive and proactive role played by BJP MPs under leadership of Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley in passing Lokpal Bill."

The Lokpal Bill was passed by Parliament in 2013, but the appointment of the anti-corruption ombudsman is stuck in procedural wranglings for the last four years.