Table Lokpals special report in house: Congress

BHUBANESWAR: Accusing the BJD of applying double standards on the issue of corruption, the Opposition Congress on Friday demanded that the special report of the Lokpal on the land acquisition for the proposed Vedanta university be tabled in the Assembly.  “On one hand BJD is clamouring for a stronger Jan Lokpal while on the other it has deliberately not tabled the special report of the Lokpal in the House which has indicted the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and his office for irregularities in land acquisition for Vedanta University in Puri district,” Opposition Chief Whip Prasad Harichandan said in the Assembly on Friday.  Alleging that the State Government is deliberately hiding the Lokpal’s special report to the Governor, Harichandan said the report has not been tabled in the Assembly as it directly indicted the Chief Minister and his office.  The issue was raised during a discussion on a motion moved by Harichandan for amendment to the Orissa Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 1995. Stating that the then Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa had to resign in wake of Lokayukta’s report, Harichandan said it may happen in Orissa too if the Government tables the report in the House. Though the Lokpal gave his special report to the Governor on May 3, the Government has so far not taken any action on it, he said.  Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh said while the Government has been keeping the special report away from the Assembly, it was leaked in media. “Therefore, the Government has no right to keep theMLAs in dark as the people have already known the contents of the report,” Singh said.  Harichandan wanted amendment to provision 12 (6) of the said Act. “I seek replacement of the word ‘annual’ in the clause as it gives scope for the Government to place Lokpal’s activity report for any year,” Harichandan said.  Stating that no annual report of the Lokpal was tabled in the Assembly after the 2005-06 report, the Congress Chief Whip said if the Act is amended, the Government would not be able to suppress the Lokpal’s reports.  The proposed amendment sought to make it mandatory for the Government to table the Lokpal’s annual activity report every year by end of December. “If amended, the Government cannot hide Lokpal’s reports,” he said.  In another proposed amendment, Harichandan said there should be a provision (by amending clause 12-8) in the Act to make it mandatory for the Government to table Lokpal’s special report in the Assembly during first session of every year.  However, Public Grievance and Pension Administration Minister Prasanna Acharya rejected the amendment proposals saying there is no such provision in other important legislations like Protection of Human Rights Acts and National Commission for Backward Class Act.