By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 20 May: During an informal interaction with the media at Congress State Headquarters here, today, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) Chief, Ganesh Godiyal reminded that former Chief Minister Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri, who passed away yesterday, is remembered for introducing one of the country’s most stringent and historic Lokayukta legislations during his second tenure in 2011.
Godiyal today claimed that, in case the Congress forms the government in Uttarakhand, the Lokayukta will be appointed without any delay. He claimed that during Harish Rawat’s tenure as Chief Minister, a proposal for the Lokayukta was sent to the Governor but was never acted upon and continues to lie pending in the Governor’s office. Godiyal asserted that the Lokayukta’s role is to rein in corruption, whereas the BJP cabinet has been engaged in promoting it, and therefore has no interest in advancing the file for its appointment. He also claimed that that the Lokayukta can expose the corruption of ministers who thrive on such practices, which is why successive BJP governments have deliberately avoided establishing it.
Godiyal emphasised that the Lokayukta can only be brought into force when there is a change of government. He described the political maladies afflicting the state as curable only through change, and stressed that once the Congress assumes power, its foremost duty will be to set up the Lokayukta on priority. He added that the Congress government would also ensure that past instances of corruption are investigated and exposed so that the guilty are punished.
Godiyal also claimed that, under the present BJP Government, corruption is at its peak in Uttarakhand and that large scale illegal mining is going on. He also commented that law and order situation has also worsened in the state and that the women no longer feel safe in the state and he also claimed that several people associated with the ruling party have been found to be involved in crimes against women.
