A visibly angry Congress Vice President, who has lately been focussing ways to defeat graft, made his disapproval known in front of Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan who immediately promised to look into the matter afresh.
Gandhi announced that the Congress-ruled states would enact Lokayukta legislations by February 28 even as he attacked BJP for blocking UPA efforts to put in place a proper framework to defeat corruption.
"Personally, I don't agree with that decision. They (Maharashtra) should reconsider that," he said, sending out a clear message to Chavan who was also seated on the dais.
"There is no question of protecting anybody...They should reconsider," Gandhi underlined.
He was responding to a question on rejection last week by the Maharashtra government of the judicial commission's report on Adarsh scam which was tabled in the Legislative Assembly.
The report of the two-member commission headed by retired High Court judge J A Patil indicted several politicians including three former Chief Ministers for "blatant violations" of statutory provisions.
Gandhi's assertion came while he was talking about the Congress' determination to fight corruption after he chaired a meeting of Congress Chief Ministers.
Earlier, he had trashed an Ordinance cleared by the Union Cabinet to negate a Supreme Court judgement which provided for immediate disqualification of MPs and MLAs after conviction. The Government had then withdrawn the Ordinance.
"These days, we hear big talk about fighting corruption... We hear again and again and again and again about corruption. But there is no action... Talks have become a fashion..," he said.
"Let's have a session of Parliament and create a framework. Whenever we talk about creating a framework, there is complete silence on the other (opposition) side. I don't hear 'let's pass these bills'.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
