War of words, on the notification of the Himachal government regarding exclusion of state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau (ACB), continued on Saturday between the Congress and BJP with chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu describing the move within the legal framework.
“The move was taken strictly within the legal framework,” said CM Sukhu.
State government as part of “Vyvsatha Parivartan” had issued a notification excluding the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau from the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005. “In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 24 (4) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, the Governor, Himachal Pradesh is pleased to exclude the State Vigilance & Anti Corruption Bureau from the ambit of the Right to Information Act, 2005,” the notification read.
“What is the CM trying to hide by excluding vigilance and the ACB from the Ambit of RTI?” questioned former CM and leader of opposition Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday.
He said, “Governments are meant to function in accordance with the Constitution, established laws, and public propriety; however, Himachal’s Sukhu government shows no regard for any of the three. The state cannot be governed by the arbitrary principle of ‘No records, no ledgers—whatever Sukhu says, goes’.
“The very party whose leaders traverse the entire country carrying copies of the Constitution is, upon assuming power, brazenly flouting the Constitution, established laws, and public decency. This decision by the Sukhu government makes it abundantly clear that it fears transparency and is attempting to conceal the rampant corruption spreading across the state. Even more astonishing is the fact that the “Vyavstah Privartan”—led by Sukhu—is standing in opposition to a law originally enacted by its own party’s High Command,” Jai Ram said.
