New Delhi: Congress on Friday came out in support of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for his comments on the Lokpal issue, saying the elected representatives own their accountability to the people.
Nitish Kumar on Thursday hit out at Team Anna for criticising the state's Lokayukta Bill as weak and ineffective.
"Nitish Kumar's statement is self speaking. The elected representatives own their accountability to the people. The essence of what Nitish Kumar has said is correct," Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said.
The Bihar Chief Minister had criticised Team Anna, saying, "Arvind Kejriwal should practice restrain while passing comments against any one. Kejriwal and his team have got into the habit of giving passing remarks against anyone. I don't need any certificate from anyone."
Kumar, who is credited with bringing Bihar's economy back on track and restoring the rule of law in the state, made the statement while reacting to Team Anna members Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi's tweets that Bihar's Lokayukta Draft Bill was no different than Congress-led United Progressive Alliance's proposed Lokpal Bill which prompted Anna Hazare to go on hunger strike.
While reacting to the Bihar Lokayukta Draft Bill, Kejriwal had on Wednesday said the team hoped that Nitish Kumar, who had on June 30 promised Team Anna that he will enact a strong Lokayukta law, brings a strong Bill on the lines of the one passed by Uttarakhand Assembly.
"Bihar government's proposed Lokayukta Bill is a copy of the much-criticised Centre's draft against which Anna sat on a fast," he said.
Kiran Bedi said the proposed Lokayukta Bill of Bihar was a 'replica' of the Centre's Lokpal against which they had all agitated. "Jan Lokpal Bill is an absolute necessity for standardisation," he said.
Kejriwal said selection, suspension and removal of Lokayukta in Bihar will be in government's control and therefore it will not be independent, as per the draft.
The draft also says the Lokayukta needs permission from government to investigate and prosecute any government officer and punishment to a complainant if he files a frivolous complaint and punishment for a corrupt officer is the same, six months to five years.
As per the draft, corrupt officers will also get free legal assistance provided by government against the complainant, he said.
"These are the same provisions that were there in central government's draft Lokpal Bill and Anna sat on a fast against these provisions. We sincerely wish that Nitish Kumar brings a strong Lokayukta Bill on the lines of Uttarakhand," he said.
Bihar Cabinet had on Tuesday decided to seek public opinion on the proposal for effective and strong Lokayukta by November 22 and formed a committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi to fine-tune the draft of the Lokayukta Bill which is proposed to be tabled in the winter session of the state Assembly in December.
However, even before Team Anna started its agitation against corruption Nitish Kumar had already taken several path-breaking steps to tackle the menace.
Bihar government has already appointed Lokpals in 12 districts, the first such move in the country just a few days after it uploaded clips of complaints against officials who allegedly sought bribes to implement welfare schemes on YouTube.com. The Lokpals have been appointed to check irregularities in the rural job scheme and to curb embezzlement in implementation of NREGA funds.
The idea to upload clips of officers asking for bribe on YouTube is the brainchild of Bihar Rural Development Minister Nitish Mishra.
Bihar, under Nitish Kumar, has become the first state in India to confiscate the property of senior government officers accused of corruption and turn it into a government school.
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