Press Note Eng Dt: 08/04/2011 on Lokayukta
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OFFICE OF THE LEADER OF OPPOSITION
Gujarat Vidhansabha, Gandhinagar.
Press Note 8th April, 2011
- Instead of trying to politically encash Anna Hazare’s campaign against corruption Gujarat Chief Minister should appoint Lokayaukta in Gujarat.
- Lokayukta is not being appointed in Gujarat because Gujarat Chief Minister is making lot of money and is helping his favoured friends make money.
- Gujarat Chief Justice and Gujarat Governor both have recommended name for Lokayukta, but government is not publishing the gazette appointing the Lokayukta.
- With the blessings of the Chief Minister, Gauchar land and flour for children is also siphoned off.
- The scale of corruption of the present Chief Minister has crossed limits of all time corruption in the 50 year history of Gujarat.
Instead of trying to politically encash Anna Hazare’s campaign against corruption, Gujarat Chief Minister should appoint Lokayaukta in Gujarat. Lashing out against Chief Minister, Leader of Opposition Shaktisinh Gohil said that it was irony of the situation that The Chief Minister who was talking about the campaign for Lokayukta, himself has not appointed lokayukta in Gujarat. He said that this is despite the fact that Gujarat has a system of Lokayukta, no Lokayukta has been appointed after Modi took over as Chief Minister.
Gohil said that this is because Lokayukta can investigate the rampant corruption of Chief Minister and his ministers. Giving details of the appointment of new Lokayukta, he said that as per the provisions of the Lokayukta Act Chief Justice of Gujarat had already recommended to Governor the name of the Lokayukta and the Governor had also approved it. In such a situation Gujarat government has just to announce the appointment. He pointed out that as per the law, Chief Minister cannot make any change in the names. He has ulterior motive in not announcing the name, Gohil said.
In the 50 years of Gujarat no chief minister has given away precious land at throw away price, but the present Chief Minister has given billions of sq. meter of land to industrialists on a platter. With the blessings of the Chief Minister, Gauchar land and flour for children is also siphoned off. Asserting that for this reason alone Lokayukta is not appointed in Gujarat, Gohil made a strong demand for the appointment of Lokayukta.
Gohil said that Chief Minister was indulging in rampant corruption and he was sheltering corrupt people. But Chief Minister is not interested in checking his own corruption or the corruption in his government machinery. Chief Minister remained silent when the corruption of Karnataka Chief Minister came to light. He is a mute spectator to the corruption by his ministers and his favourites in Gujarat. Poor do not get free plots for residence nor landless get land for cultivation. But industrialists get free land by shady deals with the Chief Minister. He is minting money while making a show of curbing corruption in small cases and for this reason he is not appointing Lokayukta in Gujarat.
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