Ahmedabad, Jan 16: The Aam Admi Party (AAP) Tuesday criticised the Narendra Modi-led Gujarat government saying despite the Supreme Court order upholding the appointment of Lokayukta in the state, the post was still lying vacant as notification has not been issued in this regard so far.
“Inspite of the Supreme Court order, the state government has not even issued notification in relation to the post of Lokayukta till date. It's very shameful,” AAP leader Manish Sisodia told reporters here today.
In the first week of this month, the Supreme Court had upheld the appointment of Justice (retd) R A Mehta as state Lokayukta by Governor Kamla Beniwal, saying it was done in consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court.
“It is all the more shameful for the democracy that in the first place, the post of Lokayukta in the state was vacant for ten years and then the Supreme Court had to intervene for the appointment,” he said.
Sisodia was here on a membership drive named ‘Mission Buniyad' to expand the party base in the state.
Giving details about the drive, he said five teams of three members each would go to every district in the state and they would be instrumental in forming district-level executive body of ten members.
“District-level committee of ten members will subsequently elect the party office-bearer. And this process will be completed within 15 days,” Sisodia said.
When asked, he said AAP would not contest the municipal and gram panchayat polls in Gujarat, slated to be
held in February.
“We have formed this party not to do politics, but to change it. All municipalities and gram panchayats are slaves of central or state governments. We can't effect any change from panchayat level,” he said.
He announced that his party would field candidates from Gujarat as well for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
