CBI vs CBI: Modi government suffering from Rafaleophobia, says Congress

As the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) reels under it’s worst credibility crisis, serval Opposition leaders and senior Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan—who recently filed a complaint with CBI urging the agency to register an FIR against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former defence minister Manohar Parrikar over controversial Rafale deal—have accused the Modi government of damaging the credibility of country’s top most investigative agency.

Taking to Twitter, Congress president, Rahul Gandhi, said on Wednesday: “CBI chief Alok Verma was collecting documents related to Rafale scam. He has been forcibly sent on leave.”

Claiming that the country and the constitution are in danger, Rahul further added: “The message of Prime Minister is clear, whosoever will come closer to the Rafale (issue), he will be removed, he will be destroyed.”

As the slugfest between CBI chief Alok Verma and special director Rakesh Asthana escalated over bribery allegations, Modi government in a dramatic midnight action on Wednesday had divested CBI chief Alok Verma of his charge and joint director M Nageshwar Rao was asked to take over.

Accusing Prime Minister Modi of the current upheaval in India's main investigative agency CBI, Congress on Wednesday said that PM's “systematic attack” on CBI has now ensured that agency’s credibility is “dead and buried.”

“PM Modi has buried the last nail in the independence of CBI. The systematic dismantling & disintegration of CBI is complete. PM's systematic attack on credibility and capacity of CBI has now ensured that its credibility is dead and buried,” senior Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said, adding that “dismantling and destroying institutions” is the sole agenda of PM Modi.

He also described the removal of CBI director Alok Verma as the "last nail" in the agency's independence. Attacking the prime minister, he said Modi has sought to achieve surreptitiously and clandestinely what he cannot do directly by sacking the CBI director.

Further attacking the Modi government in another tweet, the Congress spokesperson accused it of ''habitual and perpetual misuse of CBI'' to tamper fair investigation of serious criminal cases. Question the PM's inability to sack the CBI director, the Congress leader accused him of acting in a clandestine manner, which, he said, was the reason for this unfathomable mess.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi accused Modi government of violating the CBI Act. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is suffering from Rafaleophobia and Verma was forced to go on leave to control the agency," he said. He also called the move "illegal and unconstitutional."

Describing the current clean-up operation as a “political coup” against country’s top investigative agency, CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury, said: “They have conducted transfer of all the officers and directors, and the main objective appears to be to protect the chosen officers of the Prime Minister posted at CBI.”

"To ensure that the CBI is not a 'caged parrot', the Supreme Court had granted protection to its 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?" he asked.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court will on Friday hear a plea by CBI Director Alok Verma challenging the Centre's order asking him to proceed on leave.

“We don't know if CBI was investigating other issues like Rafale scam. If that was the case, it was ordered to protect the govt, PM & concerned officers. Why was the DIG investigating the charges against Asthana has been sent to 'Kala Pani' in Andaman?” Yechury was quoted as saying by the ANI.

Corroborating his views, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal said on Twitter: “What are the reasons for sending CBI director on leave? Under which law did the Modi govt get the authority to initiate action against the chief of an investigating agency appointed as per the Lokpal Act? What is Modi govt trying to hide?”

Meanwhile, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan has also alleged that besides protecting Asthana from investigation, the Rafale complaint filed by him along with Arun Shourie and Yashwant Sinha with the CBI Director could be another reason for Modi government to remove him by this midnight order.

Bhushan, however, described removal of Alok Verma and appointment of “tainted officer” Nageshwar Rao as acting Director as illegal. “Immediately after illegally removing the Director CBI, Alok Verma & illegally appointing tainted officer Nageshwar Rao as acting Director, the entire ACB team particularly those investigating PMO's blue eyed boy Asthana, are being replaced with alacrity! It is Modi's CBI Gate,” he said on Twitter.

Referring to the ongoing CBI saga, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu told media, “Today we have seen (how) they are messing with CBI. Democracy is at stake, secularism in danger, economy collapsed, institutions are destroyed , Centre-state relations have deteriorated."