Congress to strengthen Lok Ayukta in Punjab
Tuesday, 23/08/2011
http://my.amarindersingh.in/congress-to-strengthen-lok-ayukta-in-punjab
CHANDIGARH, August 23: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh today said that Congress will amend the existing laws to make the institution of Lok Ayukta stronger and more effective in the state along the lines of the Lokpal Bill to be passed by the Parliament.
Appreciating the concern of the people about corruption, Capt Amarinder said, “we really need strong and effective Lok Ayukta Act in Punjab to investigate into the charges of corruption against ministers, legislators and public servants”. He said, when Congress comes to power, strengthening the institution of Lok Ayukta would be its top most priority.
Maintaining that Punjab needed a strong and powerful Lok Ayukta Act today more than ever, he said, the level of corruption the Akali-BJP government has indulged in needs a high powered institution to probe their misdeeds. He pointed out, while the alliance government dropped some BJP ministers from the cabinet on corruption charges it did not initiate any further action or investigation against them.
Capt Amarinder also referred to the Akali activists’ charges against their own minister Ajit Singh Kohar, during a protest in Jallandhar, whom they accused of shielding tainted officials who had been nabbed and suspended for massive corruption charges.
He said, Kohar is not an exception among the Akali ministers most of whom are mired neck deep in corruption. “Once a strong and effective Lok Ayukta is in place it will be easy to bring the guilty to book”, he observed, while promising to clean the system in Punjab and bring in more transparency.