Jairam Ramesh writes to CBI chief, seeks probe into Amit Shah's 'Sangma government most-corrupt' remark

Ramesh also asked CBI to investigate whether Shah was under 'any duress' to 'suppress the information' related to the corruption in Meghalaya

Days after Delhi Police approached Rahul Gandhi seeking details of sexually assaulted victims he referred to in his speech during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh has asked the CBI Director to question Home Minister Amit Shah for his statement that Conrad Sangma-led Meghalaya government was the most corrupt in the country.

Shah as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made the remarks during their election campaign in the recently concluded Meghalaya Assembly elections that Sangma government was the "most corrupt" and it only worked for the family. The BJP later formed a government with Sangma's NPP.

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In his letter on March 21, Ramesh referred to Shah's remarks on February 17 and said that Shah in his capacity as the Home Minister would surely have had access to information and facts that led him to make the statement on the NPP government.

"For explicable reasons, the Home Minister, who is also the former national president of the BJP, has failed to act upon the information regarding the corrupt practices and instances of the then Meghalaya government," Ramesh said in his letter to CBI Director Subodh Kumar Jaiswal.

"Therefore, in the highest national interest, we urge you to summon Amit Shah and ask him to submit all the information and facts that led him to the stated assessment and investigate the matter," he said.

Tweeting the letter, he said, "I have written to the Director of CBI asking CBI to question the Home Minister further on his categorical assertion that Conrad Sangma's Govt in Meghalaya was the most corrupt in the country. That of course did not prevent BJP from supporting the same Conrad Sangma again."

Ramesh also wanted the CBI to investigate whether the Home Minister was under "any duress" from his party or other forces to "suppress the information" related to the corruption in Meghalaya in order "to enable the BJP to support the same Chief Minister after the recent elections".

Last Monday, Ramesh had tweeted videos of speeches of Modi and Shah where they were attacking the NPP government and asked why the Delhi Police was not questioning them about it. This came a day after Delhi Police under the Shah-led Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) went to Rahul's residence seeking details following his remarks during the Bharat Jodo Yatra that women told him that they were sexually assaulted.

It was the third time the police had gone to his house since March 15 on the content of the speech he made on January 30 in Srinagar during the Bharat Jodo Yatra finale. Rahul, in his preliminary response to the police, said he would provide the details in seven to eight days but had questioned the urgency and 45-day delay in action while wondering whether it is related to his position on the Adani affair.