Govt Examining SC Directive On Lokayukta, To Take Necessary Steps: Minister

Bhubaneswar: The business in the Odisha Assembly, which was stalled since last three days due to frequent adjournments following uproar by the Opposition members over the appointment of Lokayukta, began smoothly on Thursday after a clarification by the Parliamentary Affairs minister.

“The state government is examining the directive of the Supreme Court in the appointment of Lokayukta and it will take appropriate steps, Parliamentary Affairs minister Bikram Keshari Arukh told the House.

The Opposition members had been demanding a clarification from chief minister Naveen Patnaik in the House over the inordinate delay in the appointment of Lokayukta since last three days.

In his reaction, BJP member Pradip Purohit said the Lokayukta Bill was passed in the House in 2014 with the announcement of the chief minister that it would be implemented in the state within six months. Since there was inordinate delay in the enactment of the bill, the Opposition had sought a clarification from the chief minister to know the problems of the state government in the enactment of the bill. Instead of making statement on this issue in the House, the chief minister has remained silent which shows that he may have been convinced by his party colleagues and some bureaucrats not to direct for implementation of the Lokayukta Act as their corrupt practices would be unmasked.

Senior BJD leader Damodar Rout had criticised the Opposition for disrupting the Question Hour and stalling the proceedings of the State Assembly.

As the Speaker Pradip Amat was unable to run the House due to uproar, he had convened an all-party meeting on Wednesday to resolve the issue.