Oppn attacks Modi govt for ‘midnight coup’ on CBI, says govt hiding from Rafale probe

NEW DELHI: The government’s decision to appoint M Nageshwar Rao as interim CBI director was called to question by the political opposition hours after Rao assumed charge as chief of the beleaguered probe agency, CBI.

DMK chief MK Stalin questioned the appointment and said his party had sent several complaints to CBI director Alok Verma against Rao. In a statement that raised questions about the circumstances in which CBI director Alok Verma was sent on leave, Stalin said, “Several complaints were sent to CBI director against Nageshwar Rao and there are reports that the CBI director Alok Verma wanted to initiate investigations into allegations against him.”

Stalin also said, “Nageshwar Rao met OPS (O Panneerselvam) at the state secretariat. When CBI is investigating Gutkha scam and MHC (Madras High Court) has ordered an investigation against EPS (Tamil Nadu CM E Palaniswami) for awarding contracts to his relatives, the move to send CBI director Alok Verma has raised suspicions.”

Mamata on CBI West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also alleged that the Central Bureau of Investigation has become the BJP’s own policing agency. The Trinamool Congress chief's remarks come in the midst of the ongoing spat between two topmost officers of the central agency.

“CBI has now become so-called BBI (BJP Bureau of Investigation) - very unfortunate!” Banerjee tweeted.

The Left, which also held a public hearing on the Rafale ‘scam’ in the national capital, linked Verma being sent on leave with the pending inquiry on the purchase of the Rafale jets and the opposition’s demand for a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee. CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury said, Ä midnight coup by Modi in CBI to protect himself and conceal his mega corruption in the Rafale deal. Modi government’s corrupt deals and cronyism are indefensible.” Yechury also alleged that transfer of 13 officers, and the orders to sent Verma on forced leave were given “to protect the government, Prime Minister, and concerned officers. “Why was the DIG investigating the charges against Asthana sent on ‘kala paani’ to Port Blair, Andaman?”, Yechury asked.

On Wednesday the Left parties also held a public hearing on the Rafale deal, reiterating the demand for the JPC probe. They also said it was time for them to revisit the slogan the Left parties had raised at the time of the Bofors scam and use it for the incumbent Modi government in the context of the Rafale scam. In a dramatic show of solidarity against the BJP government of the day, the Left leaders also raised the slogan: “Gali gali mein shor hai, Narendra Modi chor hai.” CPI secretary D Raja said, “CBI is a puppet at the hands of the government. How can people trust this agency? Democracy is in peril.”

Senior Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan also joined ranks with the Left at the public hearing on Rafale, where he alleged CBI director Verma was shunted out to prevent him from investigating the Rafale scam on the basis of a complaint made by Arun Shourie, Yashwant Sinha and himself. “Apart from protecting Asthana from the investigation, the Rafale complaint by Shourie, Sinha and myself entertained by the CBI director, must be another reason for the Govt to remove him with such alacrity by this midnight order,” Bhushan said.