CBI vs CBI: Mamata Banerjee says CBI has now become BBI

With the two top officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) fighting against each other, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took a dig at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for all the controversy. Mamata Banerjee even went ahead to rechristen the CBI as BBI (BJP Bureau of Investigation) on Wednesday.

“CBI has now become so called BBI (BJP Bureau of Investigation) — very unfortunate!” The West Bengal CM tweeted.

However, the Narendra Modi-led NDA government asked the current Director of the CBI, Alok Verma to go on leave along with accused Special Director of the agency Rakesh Asthana following the rift created between the two over bribery allegations against Asthana. The Centre also said that Joint Director M Nageswar Rao will ‘look after the duties and functions of the CBI Director’, in the interim.

Earlier, the CBI Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana were fighting among themselves after bribery allegations against Asthana came to the fore. Verma wanted to suspend Asthana, but both were summoned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve the issue.

On Wednesday, the government decided to send both the officers on leave which parked further debate as to why was Verma sent on leave without a fault. The opposition said this a move to cover up the Rafale scam and called it ‘Rafalophobia’.

From Congress, both Ashishek Manu Singhvi and Randeep Surjewala trained their guns on the saffron party ever the call to send both on leave was made public. The government also directed joint director Nageswar Rao to take charge of the proceedings.

In the morning, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi claimed that the PM Narendra Modi forgot the official protocol and violated the CBI Act for sending top two CBI officers on leave.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi also took to Twitter to point fingers at Narendra Modi and BJP. “CBI Chief Alok Verma was collecting documents relating to the Rafale scam. He was forcibly sent on leave. The Prime Minister’s message is very clear that whoever comes near Rafale (issue) will be removed, wiped out,” the Gandhi scion tweeted.

CBI चीफ आलोक वर्मा राफेल घोटाले के कागजात इकट्ठा कर रहे थे। उन्हें जबरदस्ती छुट्टी पर भेज दिया गया।

प्रधानमंत्री का मैसेज एकदम साफ है जो भी राफेल के इर्द गिर्द आएगा- हटा दिया जाएगा, मिटा दिया जाएगा।

देश और संविधान खतरे में हैं।

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 24, 2018

ALSO READ: CBI vs CBI: It’s Rafaleophobia, says Congress, BJP defends; Alok Verma moves Supreme Court