ED’s list of political accused reads like a Opposition’s who’s who. Makes it harder for the agency to earn trust

An overwhelming majority of the politicians under probe by the CBI, ED and NIA belong to the ranks of the Opposition, only rarely to the ruling party or its allies. In fact, there is hardly any Opposition party of significance today that does not have members under the scanner of these agencies, with the ED clearly being the most pro-active, or overzealous, of the three. That it has an abysmal record of convictions is also telling. In far too many cases, central agencies have moved against these leaders just ahead of elections, raising questions of not just political motivation but also political timing — the AAP has alleged that action against Minister Jain is a political move ahead of the assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh and similar questions over the remarkable coincidence of ED action and an electoral face-off have been raised earlier by parties and leaders ahead of other elections. There are instances, too, of leaders being probed by the central agencies while in the Opposition, subsequently crossing the aisle to join the BJP and finding themselves magically cleansed of the taint.

On paper and in principle, these agencies are supposed to work independently of the government, insulated from all political agendas and motives. The reality, however, is messier, and the NDA presides over a disturbing number of deviations from the norm. It needs to pay attention to, and address perceptions that it is enabling and choreographing political witch hunts. The trust in premier investigating institutions, their credibility, is at stake.