New Delhi: Amid signs of economic slowdown, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s plans for a series of events to mark its 100 days in office, may have little to cheer about. But, the news is not going to help ease the creases on the foreheads of the Opposition leaders. While a prominent Opposition leader, P. Chidambaram has been sent to Tihar Jail in the INX Media case, the CBI is set to proceed with investigations against several Opposition leaders, virtually across the spectrum, in different cases.
The Opposition has been crying foul since long on this issue, but it appears that chances are relief for many of them could end in a long wait.
Congress, for instance has been crying hoarse over alleged vendetta politics of the NDA, led by the BJP, even as Chidambaram and, D.K. Shivakumar, a prominent Karanataka state leader (in a money-laundering) have been arrested. “A govt that persecutes its citizens for speaking truth to power is only reiterating its own cowardly nature. Mr Chidambaram is an extremely qualified and respected leader, he has served this nation with dedication & humility. We stand by his quest for truth no matter what,” the Congress party had said when the Delhi high court refused to grant former finance minister any protection from arrest in the INX Media case.
Not only Congress, even leaders of Trinamul Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samajwadi Party also criticised the central government for the alleged misuse of the investigative agencies.
In fresh trouble for the TMC, the CBI last week turned up the heat on three of its MPs in the ongoing probe in the Narada case. The CBI reached out to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to seek prosecution sanction against Sougata Roy, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Prasun Banerjee and one former MP Subhendu Adhikari. Earlier, TMC chief and West Bengal chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, had alleged several times, in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year, that the ruling BJP was “systematically targeting all Opposition leaders” in various cases. The CBI claims it has got “clinching electronic and material evidence” to nail the Narada and Sharada scam case accused.
The news is not so good for the BSP leaders too, as the CBI has begun looking into the alleged role of senior party leaders in the sale of 21 sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh during Mayawati’s tenure as CM. The agency may soon call senior leaders of BSP for questioning in connection with another recruitment scam which allegedly took place during Mayawati’s tenure in the state.
Besides, trouble seems to be brewing for another former chief minister of UP, Akhilesh Yadav, as the CBI has now started probing 13 mining projects, which were allegedly cleared by his office on a single day, as part of its investigation into the illegal mining scam in the state. Sources said that office of the former state chief minister had allegedly cleared 14 leases, of which 13 were cleared on February 17, 2013, in violation of the e-tendering process. The agency is now scrutinising documents pertaining to 13 mining projects, they said.
