Mumbai: In a significant move, the state Cabinet on Tuesday decided to bring the office of Maharashtra Chief Minister under the jurisdiction of Lokayukta. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Talking to reporters after the meeting, state Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan said that apart from the chief minister, ministers and Opposition leaders will also be brought under the ambit of the anti-corruption ombudsman.
This is a very good initiative to ensure corruption-free governance,” he said.However, the fine print says the CM’s office will come under the Lokayukta’s ambit only after he has relinquished office. This was confirmed by the General Administrative Department, which said only sitting CM will not be under its purview.
The opposition Congress, while welcoming the decision, expressed fear that the Fadnavis governance may invoke this provision against former chief ministers to extract political revenge. “The Bharatiya Janata Party government should not use it as a weapon against the Congress,” said Sachin Sawant, party spokesperson. He also dared Fadnavis to bring sitting CMs in the ambit.