BJP conspiring to delay Lokayukta bill: Cong

A day after putting the Uttarakhand government in the dock in the assembly for not appointing the Lokayukta, the Congress on Tuesday accused it of conspiring to delay the passage of the legislation.

"A government, which does not get tired of flaunting its policy of zero-tolerance to corruption, has failed to pass the bill on the Lokayukta despite being in power for one-and-a-half years," Congress state president Pritam Singh told reporters.

Pointing out that the Bharatiya Janata Party government had failed to keep its pre-poll promise of appointing the Lokayukta within 100 days of coming to power, Pritam Singh said the Congress was in support of the Lokayukta bill in the form in which it was tabled in the assembly last year.

But, he alleged, the government, led by Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, did not want to pass the bill and referred it to a select committee as a delaying tactic.

"Four meetings of the committee have already been held and still the legislation is a hanging fire. Whenever the Opposition asks the government to define a time frame for passing the bill and appointing the Lokayukta, they wash their hands of the issue by saying the legislation was a property of the assembly," the Congress leader said.

"If your policy is one of zero-tolerance to corruption and you are really honest, then why are you shying away from passing the Lokayukta bill and appointing the anti-corruption ombudsman?" the state president asked.

When asked why the previous Congress government delayed appointment of the Lokayukta in 2014 by making amendments to the bill, Pritam Singh said the people had already punished the party for this by reducing its strength in the assembly to 11 MLAs.

"However, today, the BJP has the mandate and the responsibility for not appointing the Lokayukta rests on its shoulders," he added.