SC order in CBI case a big win against despots: Siddaramaiah

BENGALURU: Former Karnataka chief minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah Tuesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "autocratic midnight coup" in the CBI and said the Supreme Court's order reinstating Alok Kumar Verma as the agency's director was "a big win against despots".

Hailing the apex court verdict, Siddaramaiah, coordinator of the theCongress-JDS coalition in the state, said the prime minister's "autocratic midnight coup" in the Central Bureau of Investigation has received "a major setback".

"@narendramodi govt's autocratic midnight coup &an attempt to subvert investigating institutions has received a major setback through SC judgement which reinstated #AlokVerma back as #CBIChief. This is a big win against despots &will push @BJP4India back for any renewed attempts," he tweeted.

Siddaramiah's comments triggered an angry reaction from the BJP, which dubbed him 'Twitteramaiah' and questioned his moral authority to criticise the prime minister, saying he himself had 'subverted' the Lokayukta institution in Karnataka.

"Dear Twitterramaiah, either you are short of memory or you have a split personality, On what moral grounds do you tweet about investigation agency when you yourself subverted a prompt institution like the Lokayukta in Karnataka to make way for a crippled ACB," the state BJP tweeted.

Former minister and BJP MLA Suresh Kumar also attacked Siddaramaiah asking "Sri Siddaramaiah Ji, who created the ACB (anti-corruption bureau) to subvert Lokayukta in Karnataka."

The Supreme Court reinstated CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma, setting aside the Centre's decision to divest him of his powers, but restrained him from taking any major policy decision till the CVC probe into corruption charges against him is over.