Former Minister and senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik on Saturday called upon Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to place his proposed lokayukta Bill for public debate before passing it in the State Assembly.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, Patnaik termed the CM’s lokayukta announcement as ‘belated’ and said the credit of enacting lokpal Act, under which the lokayukta Bill can come to being, goes to the Central Government only. “The State Government hardly has any choice. But before the Bill is introduced in the State Assembly, the public should be informed about its provisions,” he said in his letter.
“like Odisha Police Bill, 2013, which was introduced in the Assembly by you, the proposed lokayukta Bill may also turn out to be eyewash. You may try to bulldose the Bill through the legislature without adequate public debate by taking advantage of the majority your party enjoys in the Assembly,” he apprehended.
Patnaik wanted to know about modalities for appointment and removal of lokayuktas and whether State Vigilance would be brought under lokayukta’s purview as the CBI comes under the lokapal.