Govt attempting to discredit Lokayukta, says Moily

Its not prudent for chief minister to insist on his choice

“While the BJP is making all-out efforts to discredit the Lokayukta in Karnataka, its central leaders have been clamouring for a Lokpal Bill. It’s a stark dichotomy,” Moily said while speaking to reporters here on Saturday.

Moily, a former chief minister of the State, said the Lokayukta institution held a ray of hope to people to fight against graft at a time when Karnataka had earned the dubious distinction of being the “most corrupt” State in the country.

He criticised the statement of BJP State unit president K S Eshwarappa questioning the utility of the Lokayukta.

Supporting the decision of Governor H R Bhardwaj to reject the name of former Kerala High Court Chief Justice S R Bannurmath as Lokayukta, Moily said it was not “prudent” on the part of the State government to insist on its choice.

“It is not a prudent step by Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda that the Governor accept his government’s recommendation for appointing Bannurmuth as Lokayukta.

There are several eligible retired judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts who can be appointed to the post. The policy of naming people of a particular community for the post is unacceptable” he said.

The institution of Lokayukta in Karnataka has earned a good name across the country. All the people who occupied the post have struggled to root out the scourge of corruption, Moily added.

He noted that attempts were now being made at the government level to destabilise the institution.

He urged members of Team Anna fighting for Lokpal Bill to mount a campaign to ensure that Lokayukta institution was not disbanded.

‘OBC not homogeneous’

Earlier, speaking after inaugurating the L G Havanur Endowment Lecture, Moily suggested that the Other Backward Class (OBC) be split into two categories - most backward class and backward classes. He opined that OBC is not a homogeneous class and it is difficult to treat all the categories equally.

Terming the merit theory as a myth, Moily said reservation is neither an act of sympathy nor a supportive aid.

“It’s all about ensuring opportunities to the people deprived of it for centuries,” he reasoned.