IAC asks BJD to convene special session to pass Lokayukta Bill

With tenure of 14th Odisha Legislative Assembly (OLA) left a few months, India Against Corrpution (IAC) today asked the state government to convene a special session to pass the Lokayukta Bill.
As the BJD Government in Odisha had promised a strong Lokayukta within three months when a discussion was taking place in Lok Sabha in 2011, it is high time to convene a special session bring a bill in this regard and keep its promise, said IAC volunteer Malay Tripathy.
Earlier, opposition Congress has strongly criticised Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for not keeping his promises of passing a strong Lokayukta Bill in the State Assembly. Patnaik in December, 2011 had announced passage of Lokayukta Bill very shortly. However, the promise has not been kept, alleged Congress Chief Whip Prasad Harichandan.

However, senior BJD MP Bhartujari Mahtab while defending the Chief Minister said: "BJD supremo had announced to bring a strong Lokayukta Bill in the assembly within three months of it getting nod of Parliament."
Mahtab said his party will bring a storng Lokayukta Bill in Odisha Assembly within the next 3 months during the ensuing budget session.
IAC volunter, however, rejected BJD MP's statement. "Now, Uttarkhand Government is contemplating to convene a special session of the Assembly to pass a modified Lokayukta bill," Tripathy pointed out.

Since the ruling BJD had been claiming to be running a transparent government it should also convene a special session of the Assembly and pass a strong Lokayukta Bill as soon as possible Tripathy said.

Odisha is incidentally the first state to have a special Lokpal system since 1971. The act came into force from September 2, 1983 when J B Patnaik was the Chief Minister.
However, the Orissa Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 1971 was repealed by the then Janata Dal government led by Biju Patnaik in 1990. The Act again came into force when Congress leader J.B. Patnaik took reign in 1995.