Don't spare the corrupt: PM at CBI's diamond jubilee

In a veiled reference to the Opposition's allegations against misuse of central agencies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said an ecosystem has been created by those benefitted by corruption for decades to attack investigation agencies and bodies like the CBI should not be deterred by it.

Addressing the diamond jubilee celebrations of the CBI here, he reminded the officers that "there is no dearth of political will to take action against corruption in the country" under his regime.

Asking officers to take action "without hesitation against the corrupt, however powerful", he said they should not be "deterred by the history of the power of the corrupt and the ecosystem created by them to tarnish the investigative agencies".

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"These people will keep distracting you, but you have to focus on your work. No corrupt person should be spared. There should be no laxity in our efforts. This is the wish of the country, this is the wish of the countrymen. The country, law and constitution are with you," he said.

His comments came as the Opposition has accused the Modi government of using the central agencies like CBI, Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department to target political opponents.

“No corrupt person should be spared. There should be no laxity in our efforts. This is the wish of the country, this is the wish of the countrymen. The country, law and constitution are with you," he said.

Emphasising that the biggest roadblock to democracy and justice, he referred to the "unfortunate" delay in punishing the corrupt and harassment of the innocent. "We will have to make sure that it is faster. We need to adopt best international practices and capacity building of the officers to clear the way of holding the corrupt accountable quickly," he said.

He said whenever a case remains unsolved, there are demands it should be handed over to the CBI and it showed the faith people had in the agency. "CBI's name is on everyone's lips. It is like a brand for truth and justice. Even at panchayat level if some important crime comes, people want it to be referred to the CBI," he said.

Modi also wanted the agencies to work in unison while emphasising the need to eliminate silos between different agencies for better results. Joint and multidisciplinary investigation will be possible only in an environment of mutual trust, he said.

He said there were several ways of looting the government treasury and some would go to an extent of looting the aid sent out to beneficiaries of government schemes. Be it rations, homes, scholarships, pensions or any other government scheme, Modi said, the original beneficiary would feel conned every single time. “Even a Prime Minister once said, for every rupee sent out to the poor, only 15 paise reaches them”, he said.

Modi claimed that India's economic power is growing while the power of those who create obstacles are also rising even as he warned that the attacks on the country's social fabric, its economic interests and institutions will also rise. “Corruption money will be spent on this”, he said, as he stressed the need to understand and study the multinational nature of crime and corruption.