Nitish Kumar is right on Team Anna: Congress

NEW DELHI: Congress has seized upon political rival Nitish Kumar's "don't-issue-character-certificates" retort to Team Anna to drive home its point that the anti-graft campaigners were crossing their limits.

Kumar had criticised Team Anna, saying " Arvind Kejriwal should practice restraint while passing comments against any one. Kejriwal and his team have got into the habit of giving passing remarks against anyone. I don't need any certificate from anyone."

This got wholesome endorsement from Congress, which is having to put up with incessant attacks from Team Anna. "Nitish Kumar's statement is self speaking. The elected representatives own their accountability to the people. The essence of what Nitish Kumar has said is correct," Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said.

Kumar, who is credited with bringing Bihar's economy back on track and restoring the rule of law in the state, made the statement while reacting to Team Anna members Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi's tweets that Bihar's Lokayukta Draft Bill was no different than UPA's proposed Lokpal Bill which prompted Anna Hazare to go on a hunger strike.

While reacting to the Bihar Lokayukta Draft Bill, Kejriwal had on Wednesday said the team hoped that Kumar, who had on June 30 promised Team Anna that he will enact a strong Lokayukta law, brings a bill on the lines of the one passed by Uttarakhand Assembly.

The Bihar cabinet had on Tuesday decided to seek public opinion on the proposal for effective and strong Lokayukta by November 22 and formed a committee headed by deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi to fine-tune the draft of the Lokayukta Bill which is proposed to be tabled in the winter session of the state assembly in December.

Even before Team Anna started its agitation, Kumar had taken steps to tackle graft. Bihar government has appointed Lokpals in 12 districts, the first such move in the country just a few days after it uploaded clips on YouTube of complaints against officials who allegedly sought bribes to implement welfare schemes. Lokpals have been appointed to check irregularities in the rural job scheme and to curb embezzlement in implementation of NREGA funds.