The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday announced a countrywide agitation against the “misuse of the Central Bureau of Investigation” by the ruling Congress party.
The announcement was made by general secretary Ananth Kumar after a meeting of party office-bearers. He said the party would hold demonstrations in all State capitals and elsewhere against the government misusing the CBI and using it as a political, rather than an investigative, tool.
He also announced an agitation plan against rotting foodgrains in and outside godowns of the Food Corporation of India.
The BJP has also listed the “misuse of the CBI” for discussion in Parliament.
Party leaders have clearly spelt out the agitation is specifically with reference to the recent arrest of Amit Shah, close confidante of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and till recently Minister of State for Home in Gujarat.
However, some senior party leaders feel this will misfire. Said one veteran party leader: “I am of the view the Amit Shah issue is before a court and is a legal matter and should be handled in that manner. After all, some very senior party leaders are quietly battling out in court the charges against them related to a conspiracy to demolish the disputed structure [Babri Masjid] in Ayodhya [in 1992]. I do not understand what the party will gain by screaming about the Amit Shah issue on the streets. What will we do if the charges against him turn out to be true?”
The government, on the other hand, is of the view that the BJP may take the issue “to the streets,” as it has said, but will be wary of raising the matter in Parliament. Contrary to assertions by BJP leaders, the discussion of “misuse of the CBI” was not on its priority list, government sources indicated. “This subject was listed as number 10 or 11 from the top.”
