Thaindian News

New Delhi, Sep 6 (IANS) Congress leaders from Gujarat Tuesday met President Pratibha Patil Tuesday and said the Governor Kamala Beniwal had not violated norms in appointing Justice R. A. Mehta (retd) as state Lokayukta.

The delegation which included senior leaders from the state including state unit chief Arjun Modwadia, Leader of Opposition Shaktisinh Gohil and former union minister Shankarsinh Vaghela met Patil to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) offensive over the appointment of Lokayukta.

The BJP delegation had met Patil to demand recall of the governor for bypassing Chief Minister Narendra Modi while appointing the Lokayukta.

The Congress leaders alleged that the BJP government in Gujarat was opposing the appointment of Mehta as the Lokayukta as it is scared that as in Karnataka, the Lokayukta will also expose the “massive wrong doings, irregularities and corrupt practices”.

Gujarat Congress leaders also accused BJP leaders of misleading parliament on the issue.

“(Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha) Ms. Sushama Swaraj has misled parliament on the issue by saying governor sat on for three years on a recommendation by the state government to appoint Lokayukta. I have been a part of the process. All these are nothing but lies,” Gohil said after meeting the president.

He alleged that “maximum funding of BJP comes from Gujarat” and “the entire BJP high command was on its toes to save the chief minister”.

The BJP has repeatedly stalled parliament since last week over the issue.

The tussle between the Congress and BJP over Lokayukta’s appointment was also played outside the two houses Tuesday after some Congress leaders from Gujarat raised slogans against Modi near statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the parliament premises. Some BJP MPs countered them with slogans in favour of Modi.