New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani Tuesday demanded the recall of Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal, alleging that she had appointed Justice (retd) R.A. Mehta as the state Lokayukta without consulting Chief Minister Narendra Modi and violated federal structure.
‘We will go to President Pratibha Patil to recall Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal,’ Advani said in the Lok Sabha.
‘The governor should be impartial and should appoint Lokayukta aided by the chief minister and the council of ministers.’
As the treasury and the opposition members traded charges over the issue, the House had to be adjourned till 2 p.m. The house was earlier adjourned till 12 noon as soon as it convened after the BJP members gathered near the speaker’s podium to protest the appointment.
The BJP had given notice to suspend the question hour in protest.
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned twice on the same issue.
The Gujarat governnor had appointed Mehta, a retired high court judge, as the Lokayukta on Aug 26, bypassing the Narendra Modi-led BJP government. The Gujarat government had kept the post vacant for seven years.
