Cong vows to appoint Lokayukta, probe Pandya murder

Alleging widespread corruption in Gujarat under Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Opposition Congress on Thursday vowed to appoint a Lokayukta within three days if voted to power.

Promising a "fearless and corruption-free society" in the state, the Gujarat unit of Congress said its government would give autonomy to the State Vigilance Commission and make its recommendations binding to establish an efficient and speedy corruption prevention mechanism.

Senior state Congress leaders including state president Arjun Modhwadia, Leader of Opposition Shaktisinh Gohil and state campaign committee chairman Shankarsinh Vaghela made a series of promises on issues like tackling crime and corruption while addressing the media here.

Congress will appoint Lokayukta in three days of coming to power, Modhwadia said.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, at a recent campaign rally in Rajkot, had pointed out that there was no Lokayukta in Gujarat for the past eight years.

While promising amendments in present Lokayukta Act of Gujarat to bring it in line with the one in Karnataka, the party said it would investigate alleged graft in the Modi government.

Announcing the 12th and final point in party's 12-point "People Development Vision 2012" ahead of Assembly polls, the Congress also furnished figures of crimes recorded in the state from 2001-2011 to back their allegation of deterioration of law and order in the state.

"In the past 10 years, crime rate has increased and police have not been used for the safety of the people but only to gather people for Modi's fairs and functions," alleged Modhwadia. "Modi has been misusing the state police for political purposes for the past one decade and hence there are more than 30 policemen, including a dozen IPS officers, in jail now," he said.

The Congress promised to bring a new Public Services Accountability Act, ban all political transfers of police officers and set up a board for officers' transfers.

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