New Delhi, April 30 (IANS) The rap the UPA government got from the Supreme Court was well deserved, BJP leader Arun Jaitley said Tuesday, while demanding that the CBI be included under the proposed Lokpal.
His party colleague Sushma Swaraj meanwhile said that it was “shameful” that the highest court had slammed its government for breach of trust.
“The UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government has denigrated the institution of law officers. It is this failing institution that has today embarrassed the UPA government,” Jaitley said in an article released by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“The rap that the government received from the apex court was well deserved. The delinquent must be held accountable. This is an occasion where the government must display some sense of responsibility and accept the suggestions which we made to the Select Committee on the Lokpal legislation,” Jaitley said.
In a scathing criticism of the government’s interference in the CBI probe into the allocation of coal blocks, the Supreme Court Tuesday asked the CBI director to file an affidavit stating the changes made in the draft report vetted by Law Minister Ashwani Kumar.
Jaitley said the interference of Ashwani Kumar and the Prime Minister’s Office in the CBI report proved the CBI was not independent of the government.
He added that BJP leaders had told Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha that the CBI should be taken out of the control of department of personnel and training and put under the Lokpal for all corruption cases.
While the Select Committee recommended several reforms for the CBI in the Lokpal Bill, the cabinet diluted them, Jaitley said.
“The government is not serious about the Lokpal legislation,” he added.
