"Who will hold PM accountable?": Jairam Ramesh after Lokpal quashes plea against PM Modi

New Delhi [India], July 19 : After the Lokpal rejected a plea seeking a probe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks made against Congress for taking money from Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, Jairam Ramesh on Friday targeted the Lokpal and asked who will hold the PM accountable for telling lies.
The Lokpal established under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act 2013 is an anti-corruption institution that investigates allegations of corruption against public functionaries who fall within the scope and ambit of the Act.
Taking to his official X handle, Ramesh said, "Who will hold the self-anointed non-biological Prime Minister accountable for the web of deceit he weaves?"
He added, "We had demanded an Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation of the tempo claim made by Modi on May 8, 2024. That demand still stands."
Taking a jibe at the institution, Ramesh added, "Meanwhile, the Lokpal has certainly proved to be a Lok (Kalyan Marg) Pal?"
Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Lok Sabha election campaign in Telangana's Karimnagar on May 8, 2024 had targeted Rahul Gandhi and said, "However, since the election dates were declared, they (Rahul and other Congress leaders) have even stopped abusing Ambani (Mukesh Ambani), Adani (Gautam Adani). Why? I wish to ask the Shehzadey of the Congress: how much black money have they received from Adani, Ambani? How much (funding) did the Congress receive from them for the (ongoing) elections? Have the tempos filled with currency notes reached Congress? I smell something wrong here. The Congress should come out and clarify to the people."
Based on these remarks, a complaint was filed before the Lokpal seeking a probe into the allegations.
In its eight-page order, Lokpal disposed of a plea seeking an investigation against PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi, and industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani over the speech made by the PM. The order said, "... The tenor of the speech borders on surmising and conjecturing; and is purely an election propaganda for cornering the opponent by posing a questionnaire to him based on assumed or so to say fictional facts."
On the complaint against Rahul Gandhi, it said, "Coming to the complaint against Rahul Gandhi, unknown tempo owners and two named industrialists' (Ambani and Adani), the same fully rests on the contents of a public speech reproduced hitherto. For the view we have taken in that regard, no further discussion is needed except to observe that the case made out in the complaint against these persons (Rahul Gandhi, unknown tempo owners and the named industrialists) is founded on unreal and unverifiable facts about their complicity in the commission of an offence of corruption. Hence, no further elaboration is needed."
The Lokpal in its order further said, "Accordingly, the complaint under consideration is being disposed of at the threshold - as it is devoid of merit and based on unverifiable facts or lack of tangible material disclosing commission of an offence of corruption."