‘Integrity guardians in pursuit of luxury’: Opposition criticizes Lokpal over BMW car tender

The tender, which is not transferable, was launched for the purchase of seven BMW 3 Series 330Li cars.

Several Congress party leaders, including former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Abhishek Singhvi, criticized India’s Lokpal and called the tender a “tragic irony”.

“When the honorable judges of the Supreme Court are given modest sedans, why are the Speaker and six Lokpal members demanding BMW cars? Why spend public money to acquire these cars? I hope at least one or two Lokpal members have refused, or will refuse, to accept these cars,” Chidambaram wrote on X.

Singhvi, who chaired the parliamentary committee on Lokpal, tweeted: “Dr LM Singhvi first conceived the idea of ​​Lokpal in the early 1960s. Seeing this anti-corruption body now ordering BMWs for its members is a tragic irony, with the guardians of integrity chasing luxury rather than legitimacy.”

The veteran leader pointed out that the Lokpal received 8,703 complaints, but these resulted in only 24 investigations and six criminal sanctions.

“And now BMWs are worth 70 lakh each. If this is our anti-corruption watchdog, it is more of a poodle than a panther,” he added.

TMC’s Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale said Lokpal’s annual budget is ₹44.32 crore, while its recent tender amount is around ₹5 crore. “This is equivalent to 10% of the ENTIRE ANNUAL BUDGET. Lokpal is supposed to be an anti-corruption body. So who will investigate the corrupt Lokpal?” he added.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said, “Gahab ka Jokepal at the expense of Indian taxpayers. Oh, by the way, what happened to Swadesi’s appeal by the Indian government?

Speaking to ANI, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh nicknamed Lokpal ‘Shokpal’ and ‘Shockpal’.

According to Bar and Bench, Section 7 of the Lokpal Act, 2013 mentions that Lokpal members retain the right to salaries and allowances similar to those of Supreme Court judges.

He added that the Chief Justice of India and Supreme Court judges are transported in BMW and Mercedes cars.

Former Supreme Court judge AM Khanwilkar is the chairman of the anti-corruption body. It includes former Himachal Pradesh High Court Chief Justice L Narayana Swamy, former Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Sanjay Yadav and former Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi. It also includes Sushil Chandra (former chief election commissioner) and retired bureaucrats Pankaj Kumar and Ajay Tirkey.