CBI fiasco: NDA’s fall from grace

When Asaduddin Owaisi remarked the other day that the CBI’s mess was an internal civil war, he hit the nail not only on the head of the premier investigating agency but also on the clueless BJP government at the Centre. The latter's reaction was even ridiculous in asking people not to lose faith in the institution. Have faith in the CBI? An agency which does not have faith in itself? No one need take Rahul Gandhi seriously when he says that the CBI has become a puppet in the hands of the BJP, still, the issue poses little comfort to the Narendra Modi government.

Does Modi have any clue regarding the organisation and its functioning? How will people believe henceforth that any investigation being taken up by the agency is being done truthfully? How about those cases it is already investigating? Can anyone now say confidently that the agency is acting independently and without corruption? No way. The CBI has become a chaotic bureau that investigates itself. Again, if the Centre wanted to act against corruption charges, when send both the top guns to Siberia? It also defies logic that seniority is ignored in handing over the charge at the recommendation of the Chief Vigilance Commission.

Why was the present acting director chosen? There are a galore of allegations against this gentleman of corruption. Did Alok Verma really want to investigate Rafael deal as is being alleged by the Opposition? Or did he ever try to obstruct the path to justice as is being alleged by his deputy, Asthana? Has the latter taken bribes in the past?

The Centre's solution only raises more questions. Something is grotesquely wrong with the NDA government. Institution after institution is taking a blow to its reputation. Is this the strong government promised by Narendra Modi during his campaign? Modi's biggest poll promise in 2014 was restoring the primacy of the PMO which, he said, was superseded by Sonia Gandhi and Co. Has Modi kept his promise? There are several high-profile cases ongoing currently and what effect will this internal civil war have on those?

Vijay Mallya, Robert Vadra, P Chidambaram, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Jagan Mohan Reddy...what will they say now? Or should people think that apart from murky politics, the internal differences amongst the top bosses also do play a role in taking up any investigation? What will courts say in Augusta-Westland Chopper case or even a coal scam? Do they have to rely upon the evidence produced by the CBI? Misusing a system or an institution is one thing (as Congress did in the past).

But, allowing it to collapse completely is another. The latter is the result of incompetence. Unfortunately, the Centre's incompetence comes in many forms - in the attacks on minorities, Dalits and marginalised sections of the society, in the 'gau-hatyas' and in forcing uniformity of faith on others. And this incompetency comes hand-in-hand with the deathly silence of the learned leadership of the BJP. The CBI today is a mirror image of the NDA government! Yes.