BJP angry at Guj Lokayukta appointment

New Delhi, Aug 30 (PTI) Angry at the "undemocratic"
appointment of Lokayukta(state anti-corruption ombudsman) in
western Indian state Gujarat, Bhartiya Janta Party(BJP)
Tuesday paralysed Parliament and agitated outside, seeking
recall of Governor Kamla Beniwal and warning the central
government of non-cooperation if it did not heed to its
demands.
India's main opposition BJP members created uproar and
forced repeated
adjournments of both the Lok Sabha(Lower House of Parliament)
and the Rajya Sabha(Upper House of Parliament), contending
that the mandatory consent of Chief Minister Narendra Modi had
not been taken in appointment of the Lokayukta.
Raising the matter in Lok Sabha, senior BJP leader L K
Advani said the Constitution provides that the Governor would
act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers but it
was violated in case of Gujarat as the Governor appointed the
Lokayukta without consulting the Chief Minister.
"This is not the first attack on federalism in the
context of Gujarat. It has been happening regularly," said
Advani, leading the party's attack over the issue and adding
that BJP intends to meet President Pratibha Patil to seek
recall of the Governor.
Amid repeated disruptions caused by ruling party members,
Advani referred to Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee and
said the Congress government at the Centre had been seeking
cooperation of BJP on various issues.
"If the Centre does not respect the federal structure, it
will be useless to expect cooperation from us. We will have
problems in cooperating as our people already say that we are
being treated like this, is it fair that we still cooperate? I
feel it should not be limited to Lokayukta appointment but
overall issue of respecting rights of states. I expect them to
pay heed," he said. Advani, who represents Gujarat's Gandhinagar Constituency
in Parliament, said he expected the Centre to have proper
attitude towards the state he represents.
Contending that a Lokayukta(state anti-corruption
ombudsman) should be an "unbiased" person, the BJP leader said
he did not want to go into his merits but it was a "fit case
to be taken up by the House" as it related to "violation of
the Constitution".
Earlier, after forcing an adjournment of Lok Sabha during
Question Hour, BJP members from Gujarat led by Advani staged a
sit-in in the Parliament House complex in front of Mahatma
Gandhi's statue to register their protest.
In the House, tempers ran high when Congress tried to
counter the attack by raising the acquittal of all 12 accused
in the murder case of former Gujarat Home Minister Haren
Pandya.
It was trouble from the word go in the Lok Sabha which was
adjourned till 1200 hours after BJP members created ruckus
demanding suspension of Question Hour for taking up the issue.
Due to uproar, the Lok Sabha failed to transact any
business as it was adjourned, first till noon, then till 2 PM,
then 3 pm and ultimately for the day.
While Rajya Sabha took up the Question Hour, it witnessed
repeated adjournments since Zero Hour and was then finally
adjourned for the day.
It was a similar story in the Rajya Sabha where Leader of
the Opposition Arun Jaitley alleged that "this constitutional
crisis has been created at the behest of those in power in
Delhi... This Governor should not stay in office even for a
minute."
BJP MPs from the state will meet the President on
September two to demand the Governor's recall.