NEW DELHI: A day after Chief Justice of India NV Ramana said that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had come under “deep public scrutiny” in recent years, the Congress on Saturday launched an attack on the Central government, alleging that investigative agencies have now become stooges of the BJP to be unleashed against its opponents.
Speaking to the media here, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, “The Chief Justice of India yesterday expressed deep concern about the absolute and total subjugation of CBI, ED, and Income Tax at the altar of, I add, that of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s and the Modi government’s electoral machine.”
Hitting out at the government, the Congress leader said that the truth, for CJI must understand and it is there for every citizen to see, that CBI, ED and Income tax are stooges of BJP and the Modi government to be unleashed against electoral opponents.
“That’s why CBI’s new name is ‘Captive Bureau of Investigation’ for BJP political settlement affairs. ED has become ‘election department’ of BJP and IT has become a pliable toy in the hands of the government to be unleashed against its opponents,” he alleged.
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Surjewala further said that now when BJP goes to fight an election, the first to arrive are CBI, ED and Income Tax.
“That’s the truth and I, as a citizen of India, urge the Chief Justice of India that speaking in strong language sitting in the court alone is insufficient, when constitution and rule of law is being trampled upon by those sitting in the citadels of power,” he said.
He said that the Chief Justice and his companion judges of the Supreme Court will have to work further, exercise their duty under Article 136 of the Constitution and If necessary, put curb and punish the CBI, ED and Income Tax for acting as political stooges for the BJP and the Modi government.
Surjewala was responding to a question over the remarks of the Justice Ramana at the 19th DP Kohli Memorial Lecture organised by CBI on Friday.
“When it comes to the CBI, it possessed immense trust of the public in its initial phase. In fact, the Judiciary used to be flooded with requests for transfer of investigations to CBI, as it was a symbol of impartiality and independence,” CJI Ramana said on Friday.
“But, with the passage of time, like every other institution of repute, the CBI has also come under deep public scrutiny. Its actions and inactions have often raised questions regarding its credibility,” he had added.