Fear of probe led to curbs on CBI, say Arun Jaitley

No sovereignty on corruption, Jaitley says of A.P., West Bengal move on consent

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said “there is no sovereignty of any State in the matter of corruption.”

He was responding to the decision by the Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal governments to withdraw ‘general consent’ to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct searches and other operations in their States.

Mr. Jaitley, who was in Bhopal to release the BJP manifesto for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly election, added that “only those that have a lot to hide take the step of not letting the CBI come to the State.”

He alleged that in the case of Andhra Pradesh, the move to withdraw general consent was motivated by the fear of what is likely to happen than any particular case. In the case of West Bengal, the alleged involvement of Trinamool Congress leaders in the Narada and Sharada scam “cannot be wiped out by merely saying we will keep away the CBI,” Mr. Jaitley said.

In New Delhi, the BJP again lashed out at the Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal governments. “It is a clear malafide exercise of power by corrupt parties to protect their interests and a grand alliance of these most corrupt parties is coming up,” BJP spokesperson G.V.L. Narasimha Rao said.

“The State government has cited recent happenings in the CBI as a lame excuse and a ruse to brazenly save the corrupt and extend political patronage to people and organisations involved in acts of corruption and criminality,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.

The Congress government in Punjab, however, said it had no intention of withdrawing consent to the CBI.

“Any decision in this regard will be taken by the central leadership,” tweeted Raveen Thukral, media adviser to Chief Minister Captain Amarinder.