Opposition raps Modi government over crisis in CBI

Ahead of the Assembly polls in five states, the Opposition parties have got fresh ammunition to corner Modi government with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director, Alok Verma, being divested of his powers and sent on leave in an overnight decision.

Launching the attack, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury said that the Modi government has “illegally” removed the CBI chief to protect their “their own handpicked officer” in the agency against whom serious charges of corruption were being investigated.

Without taking name of CBI special director Rakesh Asthana who too was sent on leave following a a year-long turf war between him and Verma, Yechury also said that the government's action against Verma points to attempts at “a serious cover-up to protect his (Asthana's) direct links to the BJP's top political leadership.”

The CBI registered an FIR against Asthana and three others last week reportedly for taking a bribe of Rs 3 crore from a Hyderabad-based businessman Sathish Babu Sana to help him (Sana) get clean chit in a case being probed by a special investigation team under him.

“To ensure that the CBI is not a 'caged parrot', (the) Supreme Court had granted protection to the Chief from govt’s whims and fancies by giving him a two-year tenure. What is Modi govt trying to hide by its panic move?” Yechury tweeted on Wednesday.

Joining the tirade, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also questioned the Modi government's action to send CBI director on leave.

“Is there a co-relation between Rafale deal and removal of Alok Verma? Was Alok Verma about to start investigations into Rafale, which could become problem for Modi ji?...What is Modi govt trying to hide?” he asked in a series of tweets.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati blamed the Modi government for the “current crisis” in the CBI, saying it's not just the CBI witnessing a “tension and crisis” within the orgnaisation but also “every” constitutional and independent bodies of the government.

“The reason for such a situation is the vindictive, castiest and communal way of the functioning of the central government and its policies,” she said.

Mayawati welcomed the filing of a petition by Verma in Supreme Court challenging the government's order against him. “It will give an opportunity to the court to seriously look into the internal functioning of the CBI and also role of the central vigilance commission (CVC). This is very necessary amid the current scenario,” she said.

The Rastriya Janata Dal (RJD) also attacked the Modi government.

"Central BJP Intruders (CBI) have virtually taken over Caged Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to save Corrupt Brokers of India (CBI) through it’s Criminal Barter Interrogation (CBI) by its Crooked Bureaucrats of Incompetence (CBI)," Tejashwi Yadav, RJD leader and former deputy chief minister of Bihar, said.