Narendra Modi is another Yeddyurappa: Congress

They alleged that Modi was presiding over a “corrupt regime” and was apprehensive that an “independent” Lokayukta will expose him.

“Modi is another Yeddyurappa,or you can call him Modiappa. It is a desperate Modi and a desperate BJP… which is a badi jhoothi (big liar) party,” Gohil said.

Gohil even challenged Modi for a public debate at the place of the Chief Minister’s choice on the issue of appointment of Lokayukta insisting that the Governor Kamla Beniwal had acted “as per law” in appointing justice R A Mehta as the lokayukta.

The BJP is up in arms against Mehta’s appointment as Lokayukta by Beniwal without consulting Modi and his council of ministers with senior party leader L K Advani leading a delegation of party MPs to President Pratibha Patil today and and demanding immediate recall of the Governor.

Taking a dig at BJP,Gohil and Modhwadia said if they feel the truth is on their side why they are not fighting a legal battle and resorting to paralysing Parliament.

“The fact of the matter is that if there is an independent Lokayukta,then Modi will have to go and he is the biggest fund manager of the BJP,” alleged Gohil.

Gohil said that the post had been lying vacant for seven and-half-years and blamed Modi for keeping it so in a “blatently illegal manner”.

The Congress leaders from the state also wondered that the BJP which swore by Anna Hazare’s campaign has been attacking the appointment of Justice Mehta as Lokayukta despite the fact that it was at his place that the Gandhian had made his night halt during a visit to the state.

“It is shameful that on the one hand,you extend suppoprt to Anna Hazare and on the other you refuse to appoint a Lokayukta in Gujarat,” Gohil said.

Prakash said the opposition by BJP over the appointment establishes the fact that it wants “full liberty to loot the government exchequer”.

The confrontation between the Congress and BJP over the Lokayukta issue has worsened at a time when Assembly elections in Gujarat was only a year away.

Congress is in political wilderness in the state for over 15 years.

The Gujarat leaders insisted that the entire process for appointment of the Lokayukta has been “judiciously completed” as per clause 3 of the Lokayukta Act and three Lokayuktas have been appointed since the Act came into force in 1986.

They said that during these appointments of Lokayuktas,”no role” was played by the Chief Minister or the Council of Ministers.

Bodhwadia alleged that Modi after becoming the chief minister has consistently paralysed the working of constitutional commissions like the Human Rights Commission.