BHUBANESWAR: The formation of Lokayukta, which has been hanging fire for three years after the Act got President’s approval in January 2015, courted fresh controversy on Friday when the Opposition accused the State Government of misleading the Supreme Court. Following the undue delay in implementation of the Act, the apex court had directed the state governments to file affidavit on its progress on April 12 this year. In response to the order, the Odisha Government had filed the affidavit. But the opposition Congress and BJP picked holes in the Government response to the court and cornered it in the House.
They stated that the Government had filed a false affidavit mentioning that the Odisha Lokayukta Act, 2014 was enforced in Odisha in January 2015.“The BJD Government has filed an affidavit in the apex court stating that the Lokayukta Act has come into force in the State from January 16, 2015 and measures are being taken to frame Orissa Search Committee rules. If that was the case, the Chief Minister should furnish the gazette notification in this regard,” Leader of the Opposition Narsingha Mishra said.
Armed with the ‘falsehood’ of the Government in a legal document submitted to the apex court, the Congress members had moved an adjournment motion notice titled ‘The chief minister has no time for the governance of the state’. But Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat rejected the notice. Irked over it, the Congress legislators created a ruckus in the House. They did not get back to their seats despite request from the Speaker and demanded an explanation from the Chief Minister on the matter. Unable to run the House, Amat first adjourned it till 11.30 am and subsequently four more times till 4 pm.The opposition MLAs continued their demand for a statement from the Chief Minister and even attempted to climb the Speaker’s podium and snatch his microphone.
The Leader of the Opposition even went to the extent of saying, “I will tender my apology in the House if I am proved wrong, but will the Chief Minister resign if his Government is shown to have told a lie? I know that the Government will not dare to challenge me.” BJP members also joined the Congress protest and demanded a clarification from the Chief Minister.
Ironically, Government Chief Whip Amar Prasad Satpathy claimed that the State Government has never asserted that the Lokayukta Act has been enforced. “The State Government said that the steps are being taken for implementation of the Lokayukta Act,” Satpathy told told mediapersons outside the House. The Chief Minister was silent on the matter.