Karnataka’s former chief minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday accused the Narendra Modi-led government of misusing institutions such as the CBI, saying the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was ruling the country “like Hitler”. He added that the investigating agency should get approval from states before conducting a probe.
Siddaramaiah’s remarks come close on the heels of the decision by the Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal governments to withdraw consent accorded to officers of the investigation agency to carry out search and operations without informing it first.
A notification by the Andhra government issued this week says the general consent accorded by the state to Delhi Special Police Establishment stands withdrawn. The CBI was constituted under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act of 1946.
In the absence of this permission, the CBI cannot interfere with any case that takes place within the limits of AP any more. The state government cited lack of confidence in the CBI after its officials were accused in recent scams.
The state government will no more rely on the resources of the central institution for additional investigations in unresolved cases. With the latest decision, the CBI cannot conduct raids any more in AP and its functions would now have to be carried out by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of AP within the state limits.
But more importantly, this also gives the ACB enough powers to conduct raids and searches on central government departments and institutions located in the state if there are any suspicions.
The decision is being seen as another flash-point between the centre and state government after Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP withdrew from the NDA earlier this year.
Banerjee, who has often accused the Centre of misusing the CBI for political vendetta, had backed Naidu’s move, which had given rise to speculation that she, too, may follow suit. “Chandrababu Naidu has done the right thing in saying he won't allow CBI in his state. The BJP can be note changers, history changers, policy changers, but they are not game changers. The country is in danger because of them. They are misusing powers,” she said.
Naidu also received support from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who took to Twitter to say the Income Tax department and the CBI were being misused. He also asked why the CBI had not arrested people involved in scams.
The move, however, did not go down well with the BJP, which alleged that it was an attempt by a "grand alliance of most corrupt parties" to ensure that its "corruption" was not exposed.
BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimhra Rao described the Andhra government’s order as a "clear mala fide exercise of power" to ensure that its "corruption" was not exposed, alleging that a "grand alliance of most corrupt parties" had taken shape to protect their interests.
Leaders of the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal and the Gandhi family of the Congress were facing probe in "corruption" cases, he said, adding that it had led to a "convergence of their interests" with Naidu.
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