K'taka passes bill to give Lokayukta more teeth -Governance Now

K'taka passes bill to give Lokayukta more teeth

BJP flexes majority to pass ten other bills amid Opposition protests over mining scam

PTI | July 16, 2010

The BJP today asserted its majority in the Karnataka Assembly and ensured passage of ten Bills, including one to amend Lokayukta Act to empower the anti-graft body with more powers, amid vociferous protest by the Opposition.

Amidst sloganeering, by Opposition Congress and JDS over the alleged illegal mining issue, equally matched by BJP members, Speaker K G Bhopaiah put the bills to voice vote and declared that they got the House approval. He then adjourned the House to meet at 2 pm.

With the passage of the Karnataka Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill 2010, the ruling BJP has honoured its promise of giving more teeth to the institution

The promise was made while persuading Lokayukta Santosh Hegde to withdraw his resignation recently.

The bill, arms the ombudsman agency with suo moto powers to investigate corruption charges against officials upto the level of Chief Secretary.

The House also gave its nod to three finance bills -- the Supplementary Estimates (First Installment) Bill, The Karnataka Appropriation (No 2) Bill 2010 and the Karnataka Appropriation (No 3) Bill 2010, under which demands for grants of 28 departments have been approved.

The indefinite dharna by Opposition parties in the state legislatures demanding a CBI probe into illegal mining entered the fifth day today, with the Congress and JDS legislators spending another night in the vicinity of both houses.

Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has already rejected the opposition demand, insisting that the on-going Lokayukta inquiry was adequate to deal with the matter.

Congress and JDS members came to the House wearing helmet on Monday, saying they need protection from the ruling party in the wake of alleged threats posed to them by some ministers, particularly from Bellary.

In a tit for tat, the ruling party men donned T shirts which had slogans condemning the "atrocities" by Congress inside the legislatures and "misusing" of funds collected by them for flood relief victims.

While Congress and JDS members raised slogan "Karnataka bacchao", the BJP men countered them with "Congress hatao".

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