Alleging that the CBI was being used to target “specific State governments”, including Gujarat, BJP chief Nitin Gadkari on Saturday demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the working of the investigative agency, which he dubbed as the “Congress Bureau of Intimidation”.
“While the nation is facing innumerable threats to its internal security, the government is forcing the CBI to work for its political designs. The CBI has become a tool of intimidation .....The post-mortem of its working is necessary,” he said in his presidential address to the two-day National Executive of the BJP which began here.
Party general secretary Ravi Shankar Prasad said Mr. Gadkari alleged that the CBI was being “misused” by the Congress against non-Congress leaders, including Mulayam Singh Yadav, to suit the needs of the ruling party at a given time.
“The CBI is being misused in Gujarat where some brave police officers are being dragged in cases....CBI is targeting specific State governments. This is not proper,” he said.
Mr. Gadkari said the government remains silent “even if there are 70 to 80 encounters” in Uttar Pradesh. BSP, which is in power in the state, had bailed out the UPA on the floor of the Lok Sabha with its 21 MPs abstaining from voting in the cut motions.
“The latest disclosure by an officer in the context of the Bhopal gas tragedy has reinforced our fear that the Congress is continuing this strategy to cow down opponents or free from our law their acquaintances — Ottavio Quattrochi and Warren Anderson. This proves that their commitment is not for the people of India. We in the BJP strongly demand a JPC probe into the misuse of the CBI,” he said.
Briefing reporters on the deliberations, Mr. Prasad, who is also BJP’s chief spokesman, dismissed suggestions that Mr. Modi apologise to the nation for his alleged role in the Gujarat riots in 2002. “This may be your suggestion. We are proud of the way he has governed....the riots were unfortunate. You should also remember the fact that of the 1,100 persons killed, 200 died in police firing,” he added.
