New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday demanded immediate removal of Chief Vigilance Commissioner K V Chowdary who obliged Prime Minister Modi of the midnight report against CBI chief Alok Verma on October 23 and who is further obliging Modi by rushing a panel of names for appointment of the new CBI chief. Its spokesman Anand Sharma said the CVC can’t continue in the light of the Supreme Court slamming him for being the fulcrum of “illegal midnight operation”, stressing that he should have resigned on his own after the verdict reinstating Alok Verma as the CBI chief.
The CVC Act clearly says it has no authority to appoint or dismiss the CBI, but Chowdary acted as a Government instrument. “The CVC makes the panel for appointment of CBI chief in consultation with the Home Minister. Panel prepared by this CVC will have no sanctity; the entire process will be vitiated,” Sharma asserted. Questioning the impartiality of the CVC is purportedly aimed at dragging the process of selection of Verma’s successor in the wake of the Prime Minister’s undue haste to get rid of Verma.
Sharma said: “Many aspects of the illegal midnight operation are still shrouded in mystery. What business the CVC had to reach the CBI Headquarters along with secretary to the DoPT (Department of Personnel and Training) in the middle of the night? What was done there, which files were removed? Why was CISF which guards the central government installations removed and Delhi Police deployed? A thorough investigation by an independent body monitored by the Supreme Court is called for.” Arguing that the court should take note of the undue haste shown by the Prime Minister in removing Verma from office, Sharma said:
“The Prime Minister does not have time to participate in important debates. He doesn’t answer questions. But the PMO became active early in the morning for the Selection Committee meeting even before Verma stepped into the office after the court ruled his transfer illegal. What is the Prime Minister scared of ?” On PM Modi’s direct complicity in the Rafale case, Sharma asked how can Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reply to specific queries when they were not privy to developments?
The Prime Minister has himself so far not contradicted former French President Francois Hollande on the question of offset partner, he underlined. Sharma said: “The Prime Minister can’t contradict Hollande because it was an official meeting and minutes are recorded. We dare Modi Government to make the minutes of the meeting public. Otherwise, the version of one person – of a meeting between two leaders – will be taken as truth.