New Delhi: The leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, refused to attend a selection committee meeting on the Lokpal on Thursday, accusing the government of reducing a "scared procedure" to a "political pretence".

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kharge pointed out that he was invited to the meeting as a mere "special invitee" who would have no say in the selection.

"The conduct of your government only seeks to diminish the spirit and objective of the appointment of the Lokpal in as much as you seek to deny the participation, voice and opinion of the Opposition," Kharge wrote.

"May I say that such myopic actions belie the spirit of nation-building, more so while constituting an institution like the Lokpal. A more apt and statesman-like conduct is expected from the Prime Minister," he added.

The Congress has on several occasions questioned why the top anti-corruption watchdog had not been appointed despite the passage of the Lokpal Act in 2013.

The BJP and the RSS had lent active support to the Lokpal movement led by Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal but did not make the appointment on allegedly flimsy excuses for the first four years of its rule.

The Supreme Court on February 23 nudged the government on the issue, forcing the Centre to call the first meeting of the selection committee on March 1.

Congress communications chief Randeep Surjewala accused the government of deliberately weakening the legal framework required to enforce transparency.

Kharge referred to Modi's own attitude as Gujarat chief minister, saying: "Notwithstanding your repeated rhetoric to fight corruption, the BJP government has chosen not to appoint a Lokpal for nearly four years. To anyone familiar with the BJP government's record in not establishing and preserving the office of the Lokayukta in Gujarat, this would not come as a surprise."

The selection panel includes the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India, the Lok Sabha Speaker, the leader of the Opposition and an eminent jurist. The meeting was held at the Prime Minister's residence despite the Congress boycott.

Kharge's letter said: "Special invitee invitation is a concerted effort to exclude the independent voice of the Opposition altogether from the selection process. It negates the letter and spirit of the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2013.... A perusal simpliciter of the Lokpal Act, its intent and objective reflects that the leader of the Opposition cannot be substituted as a special invitee."

The status of the leader of the Opposition was not accorded to Kharge as the Congress got lesser seats than the mandatory 10 per cent of the Lok Sabha's strength. But the government brought a bill to amend the Lokpal Act by substituting the term "leader of Opposition" with "leader of the single-largest party" on December 18, 2014.

The bill was sent to the select committee, which okayed it. But the government didn't pass it.

Kharge wrote: "The bill continues to languish in the cold storage for want of appropriate intent, commitment and objectivity on the part of the government. My mere presence as a 'special invitee' without rights of participation, recording of opinion and voting would be a mere eyewash, ostensibly aimed at showcasing the participation of the Opposition in the selection process."

Arguing that the government could have introduced an ordinance if it was serious about the Opposition's participation, Kharge said: "They bring ordinances for all and sundry issues. Why not on the Lokpal. The entire process is an eyewash."