Congress on Wednesday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the ‘removal’ of CBI Director Alok Verma and wondered whether the action was linked to the probe in to the Rafale fighter aircraft.
“PM Modi seeks to achieve surreptitiously & clandestinely what he can’t do directly to sack the CBI Director” Congress chief spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said and demanded a response from the Prime Minister.
He accused the Modi government of hitting the “last nail” into the independence of the CBI.
AAP Party Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday asked for ‘reasons’ which prompted Centre to initiate such step. Taking to micro-blogging site, Twitter, Mr Kejriwal, said,
“What are the reasons for sending CBI director on leave? Under which law did the Modi govt get the authority to initiate action against the chief of an investigating agency appointed as per the Lokpal Act ? What is Modi govt trying to hide?”
‘Is there a co-relation between Rafale deal and removal of Alok Verma? Was Alok Verma about to start investigations into Rafale, which cud become problem for Modi ji?’ Mr Kejriwal added.
“Has the CBI Director been sacked for his keenness to probe the layers of corruption in Rafale Scam? Isn’t the rest a shoddy cover up,” Surjewala asked.
Earlier Senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan and former BJP leaders Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie had submitted a complaint to the CBI alleging violation of the defence procurement procedures and abuse of authority in the Rafale fighter purchase.
The Congress remarks came soon after the Modi government sent CBI Director Alok Verma on leave and appointed M Nageshwar Rao an the interim Director as the war between Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana intensified.
“Systematic dismantling & denigrating of CBI is now complete. Once a premier investigating agency, PM ensures that CBI’s integrity, credibility & reliability is ‘buried & dead’,” Surjewala said.
“Habitual and perpetual misuse of CBI by Modi Government & BJP to tamper fair investigation of serious criminal cases is the reason for this unfathomable mess,” Surjewala said.
He accused Modi of demonstrating the “true colour of his infamous ‘Modi Made Gujarat Model’ by this cloak-and-dagger mugging of CBI.”
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today alleged that the Central Bureau of Investigation or CBI has become the BJP’s policing agency. The Trinamool Congress chief’s tweeted CBI has now become so called BBI (BJP Bureau of Investigation) – very unfortunate!”
The Senior IPS officer Alok Verma on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court against his removal as the CBI chief. The move came after Verma and the CBI special director Rakesh Asthana were asked to go on leave, in a swift late night development, after Verma and the CBI special director Rakesh Asthana were asked to go on leave, in a swift late night development, after open fight and recriminations between the two officers slung out in the open, sullying the reputation of the premier investigation agency.
Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayana mentioned Verma’s petition before the top court’s three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.
He said the officer got information on his “removal” at 6 am this morning. He urged the court to urgently consider the matter. He also sought permission to file the petition.The court agreed to list the petition on Friday.
The government’s decision to remove CBI Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana is based on the CVC’s recommendations, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Wednesday, asserting that it was absolutely essential to restore the agency’s institutional integrity and credibility.The Central Vigilance Commission made its recommendations last evening, he said.
