NEW DELHI: Congress President Rahul Gandhi, continuing his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said on Tuesday democracy in India was “crying” as government officials interfere with the CBI – the latest being revalations that NSA Ajit Doval had attempted to interfere in a case relating to the agency.
“A crime thriller called ‘Chowkidar Chor Hai’ is underway in Delhi. The latest episode reveals serious allegations against a minister, National Security Advisor (Doval), Law Secretary and Cabinet Secretary by a DIG of the CBI,” Gandhi tweeted in Hindi.
Gandhi was repeating his jibe at Modi (that the watchman himself is a thief) following a senior Central Bureau of Intelligence officer revealing to the Supreme Court that top government functionaries, including Doval, had interfered in the probe against CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana.
“His partner, who has been brought from Gujarat, is raising crores of extortion money. The officers are tired. The trust has been broken.
“Democracy is crying,” added Gandhi in an oblique reference to Asthana, who has been indicted by the CBI for accepting bribes in the case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi.
Gandhi’s latest attack came in the wake of CBI officer M.K. Sinha alleging Doval and Central Vigilance Commissioner K.V. Chaudhary, among others, interfered in the investigation against Asthana, who is facing bribery charges.
Deputy Inspector General-rank officer Sinha, who was probing the Asthana case before being suddenly shunted out to Nagpur by the central government, also alleged that a “few crore of rupees was paid to Union Minister of State for Coal and Mines Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhari”. IANS