BJP asks President Patil to intervene in Gujarat Lokayukta issue

New Delhi, Sep 2 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday requested President Pratibha Devisingh Patil to intervene in the issue of Governor Dr. Kamla Beniwal appointing a Lokayukta without consulting the Gujarat Government.

Seenior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani after a meeting with President Patil said: "In today's meeting all the lawmakers requested her (the President) and explained to her with facts that it is not the discretionary power of the Governor to appoint a Lokayukta. The notification was issued without taking any suggestions from the chief minister or state cabinet... so we came to the President and asked her to intervene and correct what was being done against the constitution."

"We hope that this notification which is against the Constitution should be withdrawn and a correct procedure should be adopted. The appointment would be done as per the Constitution," he added.

Advani further said that the President had asked if the matter was subjudice.

BJP leader Sushma Swaraj also stated that they had demanded that the president sign a Special Court Act against corrupt government officials in Madhya Pradesh.

"This Special Court Act would be against those officials whose properties would be confiscated once they are proven guilty of corruption. A same type of Bill has been signed by the President for the state of Bihar. So we demanded a same type of law for Madhya Pradesh. If she signs on it then Madhya Pradesh will go through another revolution," she added.

The BJP's meeting with President Patil comes a day after Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi asked the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, to recall Governor Beniwal for violating constitutional norms in appointing Justice (retired) Mehta as the state's Lokayukta.

The BJP had given notices in both Houses of Parliament on August 30 for suspension of Question Hour to discuss the appointment of the Lokayukta in Gujarat by the Governor.

Governor Beniwal had appointed Mehta as the new Lokayukta of the state last Friday. (ANI)