New Delhi:
BJP leaders met President Pratibha Patil to protest against Gujarat Governor Dr Kamla Beniwal's decision to appoint a state Lokayukta without consulting Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
"We feel that the appointment is unconstitutional. The Lokayukta should be appointed (by the Governor) with the aid and advise of the council of ministers," senior BJP leader LK Advani said. He added, "We hope that the President will intervene and this order (on the appointment of a Lokpal) will be withdrawn."
Chief Minister Modi has also written to the Prime Minister asking him to recall the Governor. Last evening, the PM held a meeting with his senior Cabinet colleagues in the backdrop of the controversies surrounding the appointment of the Lokayukta in BJP-ruled Gujarat.
Dr Singh held consultations with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Home Minister P Chidambaram, Law Minister Salman Khurshid and Defence Minister AK Antony for over an hour at his residence.
There was no official word on what transpired at the meeting.
Rajya Sabha adjourned over Gujarat Lokayukta issue
The Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 2:30pm after the BJP created an uproar seeking the recall of the Gujarat governor Kamala Beniwal over the appointment of Lokayukta.
Earlier, the Rajya Sabha today saw two adjournments before noon as the BJP disrupted proceedings demanding the recall of the Gujarat Governor over the appointment of Lokayukta.
Uproar over the Gujarat Lokayukta's appointment had also led to repeated adjournments in Parliament on Tuesday.
Last week, in a snub to Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the Governor bypassed his government and appointed retired High Court judge RA Mehta as the state's new Lokayukta.
The Modi government had moved court against the appointment. It says the Governor "bypassed established norms."
The critical post had been lying vacant for seven years. The Governor reportedly consulted legal experts before choosing Dr Mehta. The BJP has challenged the appointment because Mr Modi and his government were not consulted. The party claims this violates Article 163 of the Constitution which states that the Governor of a state must act on the advice of the Council of Ministers.
The BJP feels this is a breach of federal principles and that the Governor is acting upon the instructions of the Union government.
Mr Modi had suggested that the Lokayukta be selected by a committee that included three ministers, the Leader of the Opposition Congress party, and the state's Chief Justice. The Governor had rejected that proposal.
In 2003, the last Gujarat Lokayukta SM Soni retired. It took the Modi government three years to approve a replacement suggestion. But three years later, the then Gujarat Governor rejected the suggestion on technical grounds.
Since then, the Opposition Congress says it has submitted four suggestions but the BJP government says Opposition's lack of cooperation held up the appointment.