PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The Rashtravadi Regional Party (RRP) demanded the immediate appointment of a strong Lokayukta in Uttarakhand and announced an indefinite hunger strike in support of anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare.
Addressing the media, RRP national president Shiv Prasad Semwal said the party would begin the hunger strike from January 30, 2026, backing Hazare’s proposed fast at Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra for full implementation of the Lokayukta Act.
Semwal said that despite the Uttarakhand Lokayukta Act being passed in 2014, no Lokayukta has been appointed so far, even after repeated directions from the Uttarakhand High Court. He added that the state is incurring an annual expenditure of around Rs 2–3 crore on the Lokayukta office, which remains ineffective without an appointed authority.
He accused the State government of deliberately delaying the appointment and appealed to political parties, social organisations and citizens to support the demand for a strong Lokayukta to ensure corruption-free governance in the state. RRP State president Sulochana Ishtwal and other party office-bearers were also present at the Press conference.
