A day before budget, activists begin indefinite dharna demanding accountability law

Roy added that government employees, officers and public representatives take salaries from public money, and they will have to be accountable under all circumstances. Roy said that the agitation will continue till accountability law is not enacted by the state government.

Activist Nikhil Dey said that the Congress party should fulfill its promise made to the people and pass the Accountability Act in this budget session of the Assembly.

Dey added that if the law is not passed, then the Jawabdehi Yatra for accountability will be taken out in the entire state, to every village.

Before the Assembly elections in October 2018, the Congress party had promised in its manifesto to bring a social accountability law.

The Congress support for an accountability law goes back to 2016, when activists came up with a draft accountability law following a 100-day Jawabdehi Yatra covering all 33 districts of the state.

The campaign had witnessed seminars, clinics and workshops on Right to Information (RTI), Right to Education (RTE) and Right to Hearing Act (RTH), which was followed up with camps on RTI application, grievance submission and District Shiksha Sammelans in which ward panch and panchayati raj representatives, among others, had participated.

In his 2019-20 Budget speech, Gehlot had said his government would bring in a Public Accountability Law. However, there has been no forward movement so far, said a statement by the Soochna Evam Rozgar Abhiyaan on Monday.

The statement added that widows of silicosis victims who came from Bhilwara district at the dharna on Tuesday, expressed their anguish, said that a policy has been made for them but its benefits were not being received.