By IANS,
Panaji : The spillover of Anna Hazare’s campaign in New Delhi for a stringent Lokpal bill has reached Goa, with activists demanding the reinroduction of the Lokayukta bill that was withdrawn from the state assembly as the Digambar Kamat-led government said it needed additional vetting.
“The IAC has noted that the government appears to have distanced itself from the people of Goa by indulging in delaying tactics, and feels that any further in bringing the Lokayukta bill will irreversibly erode the credibility of the government,” India Against Corruption activist Valmiki Naik told reporters here Wednesday.
The IAC has also been bolstered by outgoing Goa Governor S.S. Sidhu’s comments in his farewell speech Tuesday that the government needs to send a message to the people that it is serious about tackling corruption.
“India Against Corruption’s Goa unit hopes that the urgency expressed by Governor S.S. Sidhu in having a Lokayukta to deal with corruption in Goa will serve as an eye-opener to the government of Goa. The IAC welcomes the governor’s statement that the government needs to send a message to the people that it is serious about tackling the menace of corruption,” he added.
Under pressure from anti-corruption activists following the Anna Hazare campaign, Kamat has said the Goa Lokayukta Bill, first tabled in 2003, would be reintroduced in the next assembly session, most likely in October.