Eknath Shinde facing Opposition heat, Maharashtra govt pulls Lokayukta move out of hat

State BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhyay said his party does not believe in political vendetta. “Under the leadership of Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, it has set in process greater accountability and transparency. The Lokayukta Bill is a step forward to tackle corruption. By including the CM and ministers within the Lokayukta, the BJP and the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena have displayed a bold stand.”

Since the Winter Session of the Assembly started, the government has been involved in acrimonious exchanges with the Opposition. While the ruling alliance has tried to corner the Opposition, especially Aaditya Thackeray and former CM Uddhav Thackeray, using the Disha Salian and Umesh Kolhe cases, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has pushed back by calling for a probe into Shinde’s alleged link to the Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) land allotment case.

But with the Lokayukta Act, the government expects the Opposition’s strategy to lose steam even as its public image is enhanced. “The legislation is a first step towards rooting out corruption from the system. Its objective is larger public welfare,” said Cabinet Minister Deepak Kesarkar, who belongs to the Shinde faction of the Sena.

On the face of it, the Opposition has welcomed the government’s move in principle. The MVA, though, was absent from the Assembly when the legislation was passed as it had walked out earlier in protest against the Teacher Eligibility Test scam. Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said, “We have always supported the Lokayukta. I maintained we would study the legislation and then discuss it. Unfortunately, the government rushed the legislation when we walked out in protest to highlight the (TET) scam and their minister Abdul Sattar’s involvement.”

To prevent the misuse of the law, it has in-built checks and balances. The law states that all former and present chief ministers can be investigated by the Lokayukta. But the caveat is that a motion has to be passed by a two-thirds majority on the floor of the House.

The strength of the Assembly is 288, meaning that 192 MLAs will have to give consent if any minister has to be prosecuted by the Lokayukta. At present, the BJP has 105 legislators and the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena has 50 MLAs. This adds up to 155 MLAs for the ruling coalition. To get permission for a Lokayukta probe, the ruling alliance will require the permission of an additional 37 members. In comparison, the MVA will need the support of 78 MLAs as its combined strength at the moment is 114 legislators (NCP – 54 MLAs, Congress – 44, and Thackeray faction – 16 MLAs).

The Congress has raised questions about the government’s intent, with its state chief Nana Patole asking if ministers accused of being involved in a scam will indeed be investigated. “The government should have ensured the Opposition’s participation and passed the legislation,” he said.