CPI too differs with Vijayan on tweaking of Lokayukta, Cong to meet Guv

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 26 The CPI, the second biggest constituent of the Left Democratic Front in Kerala, on Wednesday criticised the Pinarayi Vijayan government's move of sending an ordinance to the Governor seeking his approval for the amendment of the state Lokayukta Act.

A delegation of the Congress-led UDF will be meeting Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Thursday urging him not to sign the Ordinance.

Expressing displeasure over the development, CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran said the move is being strongly opposed because there was no need to bring it out as an Ordinance when the Assembly session is slated to be held soon.

"It could have been easily brought as a Bill. Moreover no discussion took place in the political front also," said a peeved Rajendran.

On Tuesday, the Congress and the BJP tore into the chief minister saying this is being done as Vijayan and his cabinet colleague State Higher Education Minister R. Bindhu are facing serious charges before the Kerala Lokayukta. The amendment was sought sensing trouble for the two, they said.

Apparently, the amendment to the Ordinance was cleared by the Vijayan cabinet, last Wednesday, when he appeared online from his hospital bed in the US taking away all its powers and leaving it a mere recommendatory body.

Hitting hard at State Law Minister P. Rajeev who said that all what they did was to bring the Kerala Lokayukta at par with those of other states, Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan said the arguments put up by Rajeev makes no sense.

"It was the Left government headed by E.K. Nayanar in 1999 who floated the present Lokayukta and after so many years, the very same CPI-M says it was against the Constitution. It's indeed laughable to hear what he has said and the reason to tweak it," said Satheesan.

"In 2019 Vijayan wrote an article in their party magazine, where he says the Kerala Lokayukta which they formed not only barks, but it has adequate powers to even bite. And now when he is all set to be bitten, on the sly has tweaked it," said Satheesan.

The argument put forward by Rajeev said it was the first Pinarayi Vijayan government which had started discussing this issue and the advocate general now gave his legal opinion that the present powers of the Lokayukta stands in way of natural justice and is also not in tune with the Constitution.

In 2021 April, soon after the Assembly elections, the Kerala Lokayukta ruled that the then State Higher Education Minister K.T. Jaleel had violated his oath of office and had appointed his relative following which Jaleel had to quit.

The scene on this now shifts to the office of Khan and all eyes are on how he will go about it.

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