Lokpal panel: Cong slams BJP for 'non-serious' attitude

Congress today slammed the Narendra Modi government for what it termed was its "non- serious" attitude towards the issue of corruption as it took up the matter of its U-turn on the appointment of a UPA- nominated candidate to the Lokpal panel.
The BJP-led NDA government last Friday filed an affidavit in Supreme Court defending the appointment of senior advocate PP Rao as the 'eminent jurist' on the Lokpal selection panel.
However, Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed today said, "At the time of his appointment, the then Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha (respectively), Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, had objected to Rao's inclusion.

"The whole process was delayed because of that. But now, when they (BJP) are in power, they have supported the selection."
Speaking to reporters at the party office here, Ahmed said that BJP had opposed Rao's candidature "just for the sake" of opposition and under the "guise" of constructive opposition.
"That shows the non-serious attitude of the Modi government... Not only have they adopted UPA's policies but also its appointees (sic)," he said.

Ahmed also raised the issue of delay in the appointment of the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC).
"There is a huge backlog with close to 25,000 cases pending because of the non-appointment of CIC. This is also a serious matter," he said.

Ahmed, the Congress General Secretary in charge of Delhi, further criticised the move by the Centre to take away the powers of the Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB).
"Delhi Police, DDA have been removed. Even the three MCDs, which the BJP rules, have been removed from the jurisdiction of ACB. It all shows how serious the Modi government is on the issue of corruption," Ahmed said.