Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday refused the government's offer to attend the meeting of the Selection Committee for Lokpal appointment as a 'special invitee'.
Kharge, who was invited for a meeting of the Selection Committee, in a letter to PM Narendra Modi said that a special invitee invitation is a "concerted effort" to exclude the voice of the opposition in Lokpal selection. "A special invitee invitation is a concerted effort to exclude the independent voice of the opposition altogether from the selection process of the most important anti-corruption watchdog," the senior Congress leader said.
"My mere presence as special invitee without rights of participation, recording of my opinion and voting would be a mere eyewash ostensibly aimed at showcasing the participation of the opposition in the selection process.
"In these circumstances I must decline the invite as special invitee to uphold the inviolability of the Lokpal Act 2013 as the current proceedings have reduced a sacred procedure to a political presence," he said in the letter.
