THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the Congress, the BJP, and the ruling Left ally, the Communist Party of India (CPI), all criticising Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's decision to tweak the Lokayukta guidelines, the Congress wrote to CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Saturday, requesting his intervention in the matter.
The Congress has asked the state government to hold off on enacting this severely regressive bill, which would effectively leave the Lokayukta useless. V.D. Satheesan, the Leader of the Opposition, addressed a three-page letter to Yechury, saying that the Congress has long admired the latter's progressive attitude on the need for "strong" and "effective" Lokpal and Lokayuktas to combat the corruption epidemic.
"Please recall that during the Rajya Sabha debates on the Lokpal Bill in 2011 and 2013, you (Yechury) argued forcefully that the Lokpal must be autonomous, transparent, comprehensive, and free of political control. Some of the notable and laudable suggestions you (Yechury) made during those discussions included bringing corporate houses and foreign-funded NGOs under Lokpal's purview, electoral reforms, and bringing the CBI under Lokpal's purview to free it from the clutches of political masters "The letter of Satheesan has been added.
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