‘Puppets For Political Interest’: Assam Opposition Alliance Slams Modi Govt For ‘Misusing’ CBI, ED

The United Opposition Forum, Assam accused the Modi government of 'misusing' the ED and the CBI as ‘puppets’ for their political interests.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) Assam unit chief Ripun Bora addressing the media in Guwahati on Friday

Source : Pallav Bora

Guwahati: The United Opposition Forum, Assam, a conglomerate of 15 opposition parties, on Friday, accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government of 'misusing' the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), as ‘puppets’ for their political interests. Addressing a press conference in Assam’s Guwahati, Trinamool Congress (TMC)'s state unit chief Ripun Bora, on behalf of the United Opposition Forum, said that the Union government has used both the Central agencies for their political interests ever since they came to power in 2014.

“During the tenure of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the centre, we have seen that both the Central agencies of our Country, the CBI and ED, which are constitutionally autonomous bodies, but the Central government, instead of allowing them to function on their own, has misused them as ‘puppets’ for their political interest,” said Bora.

“During their nine-year rule, the BJP-led Central government has misused both the CBI and the ED to such an extent, that the people of India are compelled to believe that the prime duty of both these agencies is to control the political opponents of the BJP-led Central government instead of controlling the economic offences and other crimes. The way in which the BJP-led Central government has misused these two constitutional autonomous bodies is a threat to the democracy and Constitution of our country,” he added.

Bora cited a few instances, which according to him are enough to substantiate how the BJP-led Central government has been misusing the CBI and the ED to ‘crush’ the opposition political parties.

“During the second tenure of the BJP-led NDA government between 2019 and 2023, of the total cases registered by the CBI and the ED, 95 per cent of the cases have been registered against some of the selected opposition political party leaders. Contrary to this partisan and vindictive policy of the BJP-led Central government, only 26 cases were registered by both agencies against political leaders during the 10-year regime of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Central government, of which, only 14 cases were against the opposition political leaders who opposed to the Congress,” Bora said.

The Assam TMC chief questioned how the tainted leaders of the BJP, against whom either the CBI or the ED had registered cases, have been pending and become clean in the BJP's ‘washing machine.’

“On the other hand, there are no instances of the CBI and ED registering any case against the BJP leaders in between 2014 and 2023. Rather, the BJP-led Central government has kept pending the old cases registered by both agencies against the BJP leaders. How the tainted BJP leaders against whom the CBI or the ED had registered cases, are pending and have become clean in the BJP's washing machine,” Bora asked.

He further asked why on the one hand, the BJP-led Central government is targeting their political opponents but on the other hand, they are silent on the multi-crore scams involving the alleged ‘close associates’ of the BJP-led Central government.

“How did Nirav Modi, who was involved in the several thousand crore Rupee Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam, flee away to a foreign country immediately after the BJP came to power in 2014? Why is the BJP-led Central government not taking any steps to bring him back to India? How did Vijay Mallya, who was involved in the 9,000 crore Kingfisher Airlines scam, flee from India after the BJP formed government at the centre in 2014,” Bora questioned.

“How did Lalit Modi, who was involved in the multi-crore Indian Premier League (IPL) scam, and Mehul Choksi, who was involved in several thousand crore bank scam, flee from India during the BJP’s rule, and why is the BJP-led Central government not bringing them back,” he further asked.   

Bora remarked that these instances are enough to believe how the BJP-led Union government is going to crush the democracy and the Constitution of India by misusing the CBI and the ED for their political interests.

The writer is a senior independent journalist covering the Northeast.