'West Bengal govt lacks political will on Lokayukta'-reeked of hypocrisy when it came to the passage of the Lokpal Bill.1/1/12

Politics | Updated Jan 01, 2012 at 09:09am IST

'West Bengal govt lacks political will on Lokayukta'


Kolkata: Former West Bengal Lokayukta Retired Justice Samaresh Banerjee said on Saturday that the Mamata Banerjee government reeked of hypocrisy when it came to the passage of the Lokpal Bill. The TMC supported the passage of the Bill in the Lok Sabha. However, the party took a complete U-turn in the Rajya Sabha and stalled the proceedings.

The TMC refused to back the Lokpal in the Rajya Sabha saying that it encroached on the powers of the states. Shockingly, West Bengal has been without a Lokayukta since 2009.

Many other parties - including the AIADMK and the DMK - did the same. They opposed the Bill saying it threatened the federal structure of the country.

However, former West Bengal Lokayukta Retired Justice Samaresh Banerjee has said the stand taken by the parties smacked of hypocrisy.

Appointed in 2006 with the creation of the Lokayukta in Bengal, he was the only Lokayukta the state has ever had. Since 2009, the post has been lying vacant.

The former judge said, "I say it is a lack of political will. Otherwise if you are conscious, you fight in Parliament. You say, 'No, no, don't take away my right'. Your question is you don't even have to frame a new law, the law is already there but you are not appointing anybody."

With the Lokayukta's post vacant, hundreds of cases have been piling up with a department which is now defunct.

Subir Dey, Secretary, Lokayukta, West Bengal, said, "We take up cases but we can't open the files because as per law, we can only open them in front of a Lokayukta."

Popular quizmaster and TMC MP Derek O'Brein said, "Here are MLAs in our Assembly who are elected by the people. They will decide what the state will do and what kind of Lokayukta they would want."

While concerns about state's autonomy could be well founded, the real question is whether enough has been done to consolidate and strengthen the Lokayuktas that already exist in several states by the ruling parties in power.