Why Lokpal not appointed, asks Gopalkrishna Gandhi

March 18, 2016 12:00 am | Updated 05:41 am IST - MANGALURU:

Raising the matter of appointment of Lokpal, which has been relegated after the Parliamentary elections, the former Governor of West Bengal Gopalkrishna Gandhi said here on Thursday that the government should appoint someone with integrity to the post.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating a seminar on Gandhian thoughts and politics at the University College, he said that Parliament would have to answer why the appointment of Lokpal has not become a reality.

He said that social activist Anna Hazare’s agitation brought to limelight the need for the appointment of Lokpal.

After elections to Parliament and the Delhi Assembly, the focus on the appointment of Lokpal has waned. “Someone like the erstwhile social reformer late Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay could be appointed as Lokpal,” he said.

Hailing the Swachh Bharat Mission launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “wise and good step”, he said that but there is a need to look beyond the cleanliness of the surroundings. Mahatma Gandhiji had a wider perspective of cleanliness. He said that Mahatma Gandhiji believed in both in inner and outer cleanliness.

Mr. Gopalkrishna Gandhi said that the government should reveal what is happening to nuclear waste.

“Huge amount is being spent on nuclear energy. Frankly, I do not know what is happening to nuclear waste,” he added.

He said that some of the nuclear installations were on zone III and zone IV of potential seismic hazard zones. “Is it safe to have them?” he questioned.

He said that there should be checks on illegal mining and uncontrolled use of plastic products. “High level intervention is needed to control plastic lobby,” he said.

He alleged that it was plastic lobby which was responsible for states not able to impose curbs on plastic garbage. “There has to be some equivalent like the Salt Satyagraha to break the monopoly of plastic lobby,” Mr. Gopalkrishna Gandhi said.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.