Kiran Bedi repeats fallacy on Odisha Lokayukta Bill

Odisha Sun Times Bureau

Bhubaneswar, Mar 3:

Former IPS officer and flag bearer of the Anna Hazare movement Kiran Bedi on Monday repeated the fallacy that Odisha was the ‘first’ state to pass the Lokayukta Bill, something that has been conclusively demolished.

“I must compliment the Chief Minister Mr Naveen Patnaik, who is known for his integrity, on Odisha being the first state in the country to pass the Lokayukta Bill. I even tweeted about it. The state passed the Bill within three months of parliament passing the Lokpal Bill,” Bedi told media persons while on a day’s visit to the state.

Nobody pointed out to her that it was Uttarakhand – and not Odisha – which was the first state to have passed the Lokayukta Bill, having done so on January 22, nearly three weeks before Odisha followed suit on February 14.

Bedi, who was at the forefront of the movement for a strong Lokpal, also appeared blissfully unaware of the stiff opposition by the civil society to the Odisha Lokayukta Bill 2014 for not allowing autonomy to the Vigilance department and for being inconsistent with the Central Act in a number of other aspects.

She made a strong pitch for BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi saying; “ What I am asking for is a stable government, an experienced hand in administration, a clear headed visionary. Therefore, I have been saying I support the leadership of Narendra Modi and naturally the political party.”

The former senior police officer who was here to unveil a stute of Swami Vivekananda at VISWASS, an educational institution on the outskirts of the city, told media persons after her arrival here at the Biju Patnaik International Airport,”I am saying if India wants a stable govt, India needs clear headed leadership, a strong administrator, so that we can progress and develop.”

If national media reports are to be believed, Bedi is most likely to be fielded by the BJP from Delhi’s Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha seat.