Kharge writes to PM, will boycott Lokpal meeting

New Delhi: Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday wrote to PM Narendra Modi saying he will not attend a meeting of the selection committee for appointment of Lokpal till the time the leader of the single largest Opposition party is accorded a full- fledged member of the panel. The meeting is scheduled for Friday evening. Mr Kharge had on earlier occasions too had boycotted meetings of the panel.

On the day that the Lokpal selection committee was due to meet, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said he would boycott the meeting until he is conferred the status of a full- fledged member of the panel as per the provisions of the Lokpal Act 2013. In his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Kharge expressed his

displeasure at being invited to the panel meetings as a “special invitee”. It is disappointing that previous letters raising the issue had gone unnoticed, he said.

“Despite being aware of the fact that there is no such provision under Section 4 of the Lokpal Act to invite me for the selection panel's meeting as a ' special invitee', the government has insisted on continuing to do so,” the Congress leader wrote to the PM. “I am sure you are aware that the select committee has approved the amendment in the Lokpal Act to include the leader of the single largest Opposition party as a member of the panel. The fact that this amendment has never been brought before the House by the government, clearly indicates that the government is keen to keep the Opposition outside the process of appointing the Lokpal,” Mr Kharge wrote.

Mr Kharge had on earlier occasions too, boycotted meetings of the panel, citing the same reason. Congress MP from Gulbarga lamented in the letter that his previous letters in this regard have remained unacknowledged and the serious concerns raised in them have not been addressed.

“Under these circumstances, I must once again respectfully inform that I would not be able to attend the meeting of the selection committee until the leader of the single largest opposition party is conferred the status of a full- fledged member as envisioned in the Lokpal Act 2013,” wrote Mr Kharge.

“It has been four years since your government came to power and if the government was indeed sincere about including the voice of the Opposition in this process, it could have brought the necessary amendment to ensure the same,” he said.

If the govt was sincere about including the voice of the Opp. in this process, it could have brought the amendment — Kharge, Cong leader