Kharge boycotts Lokpal meet

Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge today boycotted a meeting of the selection committee for appointment of Lokpal that was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Earlier in the day, Kharge wrote to Modi saying he will not attend such meetings till the time the leader of the single largest opposition party is made a full-fledged member of the panel.

Kharge had on earlier occasions too boycotted meetings of the panel on the same ground.

In his letter to Modi, he referred to previous letters in this regard saying these have remained unacknowledged and unaddressed.

"Under these circumstances, I must once again respectfully inform that I would not be able to attend the meeting of the selection committee until the leader of the single largest opposition party is conferred the status of a full-fledged member as envisioned in the Lokpal Act 2013," he said in his letter.

"I believe that the process of appointing the Lokpal under such circumstances is vitiated. I would also like to caution that any eminent person who would be chosen for appointment as Lokpal would not accept this appointment made by a selection committee that did not consider the views of the opposition," he said.

Kharge objected to him being invited as a 'special invitee' and said that the government was well aware that there is no such provision under section 4 of the Act.

"It has been four years since your government came to power and if the government was indeed sincere about including the voice of the Opposition in this process, it could have brought the necessary amendment to ensure the same," he wrote to Modi, who heads the selection committee to set up a search panel for recommending names for the appointment of the anti-graft ombudsman and its members.

"In fact, the recent actions of the government including the dilution of the Right to Information Act and the Whistleblower's Protection Act shows that instead of strengthening laws to fight corruption and empowering the common man, betrays the intentions of this government," he said.

Kharge recalled that the select committee has approved the amendment to the Lokpal Act to include the leader of the single largest opposition party as a members of the selection committee, but the amendment has never been brought before the house by the government, which clearly indicates that the government is keen to keep the opposition outside the process of appointing the Lokpal.

The submissions made by the government in the Supreme Court and its actions indicate that the appointment of the Lokpal "has never been accorded due importance or priority by your government", he said.

He added that since no amendments in the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 have been made, an invitation as a 'special invitee' without rights of participation, recording of opinion and voting in the procedure, is only to "mislead the nation and the people", rather than sincerely seeking the participation and opinion of the opposition.