Key posts vacant as government wants to 'grab' land from common people: Rahul Gandhi

NEW DELHI: Stepping up his attack on the Modi government, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today questioned why it was keeping the posts of RTI commissioner, Lokpal and Chief Vigilance Commissioner vacant.

Gandhi also reiterated his "suit-boot" barb, saying the government kept the posts vacant as it wanted to "grab" land from common people on behest of its "industrialist friends".

"Our government fought for transparency. The appointments to the post of RTI commissioner, Lokpal and CVC are not being done by the government and the posts are lying vacant.

"That's because the 'suit-boot ki sarkar' wants to grab land from the people on the behest of its few industrialist friends and give entire power to them," he told reporters outside the Parliament.

His attack came on a day Congress President Sonia Gandhi accused the government of making a "blatant U-turn" on the issue of transparency and charged it with "deliberately" keeping the posts of Chief Information Commissioner, CVC and Lokpal vacant.

"Information delayed is information denied. This is simply not acceptable. Protecting wrongdoers cannot be part of any government ethos," she said, recalling Modi's promises of transparency and good governance.