The Congress party on Sunday demanded the immediate ouster of Chief Vigilance Commissioner K.V. Chowdary, accusing him of working as a “vigilant slave” of the government to help hide facts concerning the contentious Rafale jet fighter deal.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, the “CVC (Central Vigilance Commissioner) should be sacked or tender his resignation”.
The “CVC must go,” Mr. Singhvi said
“The CVC has been acting like an ambassador, messenger of the government, and lobbying for Asthana (CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana). The CVC has forgotten that he is supposed to do vigilance for public good, and not be a ‘vigilant’ puppet into the hands of political masters,” he added.
Mr. Singhvi cited news reports on Mr. Chowdary’s visit to sacked CBI director Alok Verma on October 6 — 17 days before he was removed unceremoniously by a midnight order of the government — on behalf of then special director CBI Rakesh Asthana.
“The purpose was to improve the appraisal report of Mr. Asthana,” Mr Singhvi claimed. Mr. Verma had called Mr. Asthana a man of “doubtful integrity” in the report.
Mr. Singhvi pointed out that news reports only point out facts and there has been no denial issued by any of the concerned parties to prove them otherwise.
“The sequence of events indicate that the CVC acted like a hatchet man of the government. He cancelled his trip to Denmark at the very last minute and then issued the midnight orders to remove then CBI director Alok Verma,” he alleged.
Mr. Verma was removed by the high-powered selection committee, led by the Prime Minister, on the basis of the report filed by CVC. Despite requests from Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, Mr. Verma was not allowed to present his case in front of the select committee.
Without naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah, Mr Singhvi said, “None except the top two people in this country, who rule this country dictatorially, can claim the power to treat and make the CVC act like a puppet and these master puppeteers can only be doing it to hide something…. Something like Rafale.”
