Rakesh Asthana v Alok Verma: Who said what on Govt's removal of CBI director

The government has divested CBI director Alok Verma and Rakesh Asthana of all powers amid an ongoing spat between them, calling it the first such case in the history of the agency. Congress President Rahul Gandhi, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, Delhi chief ministers and other opposition leaders have slammed the Centre over the CBI infight.

NEW DELHI: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana have been "divested of all powers" amid an ongoing spat between them. The Centre has also transferred as many as 13 officers of the agency, shunting out almost all those in Verma's team which was probing bribery charges against Asthana. This infighting in the premier investigating agency and the Modi government's response to the entire episode has drawn flak from the opposition parties. The Congress has dubbed it the "last nail" in the agency's independence while the CPIM called it illegal. The Aam Aadmi Party and Mamata Banerjee's TMC also slammed the Centre for the CBI feud.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday gave 'Rafale turn' to the CBI infight and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi Modi of interfering in the working of the CBI. He alleged that Alok Verma was "sacked" for his keenness to probe the "layers of corruption" in the Rafale scam.

"Systematic dismantling and denigrating of CBI is now complete. Once a premier investigating agency, PM ensures that CBI's integrity, credibility and reliability is 'buried and dead'," he wrote on Twitter. "Has the CBI Director been sacked for his keenness to probe the layers of corruption in Rafale Scam? Isn't the rest a shoddy cover up? Let PM answer," Rahul Gandhi said in another tweet.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that the CBI has become the BJP's policing agency.  "CBI has now become so called BBI (BJP Bureau of Investigation) - very unfortunate!" Banerjee tweeted.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also raised questions on Centre's action against Alok Verma. "What are the reasons for sending CBI director on leave? Under which law did the Modi govt get the authority to initiate action against the chief of an investigating agency appointed as per the Lokpal Act? What is Modi govt trying to hide?" he said on Twitter.

BSP president Mayawati blamed the Centre for the state of affairs in the CBI and said other institutions are also facing similar problems because of the wrong policies being pursued by the government. "More than the officials, it is the central government which is responsible for the problems in the CBI," Mayawati said in a statement. She said the Centre's "vindictive, casteist and communal policies" have put not only the CBI, but also other agencies under similar threat.

The CPIM claimed that the government was panicked by the feud between Alok Verma and Rakesh Asthana nd removed the agency's chief to protect its 'handpicked' officer. In a series of tweets, CPIM general secretary Sitaram Yechury Wednesday slammed the government for the current state of affairs in the country's premier investigative agency.  "The illegal removal of CBI chief by Modi government to protect their own handpicked officer, against whom serious charges of corruption are being investigated, points to attempts at a serious cover-up to protect his direct links to the BJP's top political leadership", tweeted Yechury.

The government, however, claimed that ousted CBI Director Alok Verma was not cooperating with the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and defended its decision to send him on leave, saying that an "extra-ordinary and unprecedented" situation had arisen due to "grave allegations of corruption" against senior functionaries of the agency.

(With inputs from agencies)