Ahmedabad:
In a snub to Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal bypassed his government and appointed retired High Court judge RA Mehta as the state's new Lokayukta.
The critical post had been lying vacant for seven years. While the BJP government is upset, the Opposition Congress has welcomed the move.
"This is unfortunate and unconstitutional," said Jaynarayan Vyas, government spokesman.
"For over seven years the government has been sitting on the important file," Leader of the Opposition Shaktisinh Gohil said.
In 2003, the last Gujarat Lokayukta SM Soni retired. It took the Modi government three years to approve a replacement suggestion. But three years later, the then Gujarat Governor rejected the suggestion on technical grounds.
Since then the Opposition Congress says it has submitted four suggestions but the BJP government says Opposition's lack of cooperation held up the appointment.
The Modi government has moved court against the appointment - a move analysts view as counter-productive in the larger nationwide chorus for strengthening anti-corruption laws.