Selection committee meeting on appointment of CBI director must take place soon: Kharge

Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday demanded another meeting of high-powered Selection Committee at the earliest and said that yesterday's meeting was "inconclusive" because of the absence of necessary material.

The Selection Committee meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was held on Thursday over the appointment of a new CBI Director.

"We have said it to the Prime Minister for a meeting at the earliest. If this keeps on getting delayed like this then naturally the person who has been appointed at the post of CBI Director will keep continuing in the post. They have already made a mistake by posting an ineligible interim director. On the other hand, they called a meeting without preparation, and the material that must be placed in front of the committee wasn't presented, hence it was delayed. If we had all the material we could have decided upon it. This meeting should be held before 21 February when his term ends," Kharge told ANI.

Names of 80 officers from four IPS batches were presented before the committee. Kharge, who is part of the three-man committee, has sought dossiers of all officials shortlisted by the committee.

Speaking on the statement made by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Priyanka Gandhi, he said, "She is the Speaker of Lok Sabha. We expect her to be impartial, non-political and she shouldn't talk about politics. If you throw mud on someone naturally you will also have to face a similar consequence. Hence, I respectfully request her that as a Speaker she should not get into politics and I hope she would take precaution in future."

On Thursday, Mahajan had said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's appointment as Congress General Secretary of Uttar Pradesh East is a confirmation of party president Rahul Gandhi realising that he cannot handle politics alone.

Kharge also criticised Bihar Minister Vinod Narayan Jha's controversial statement who called Priyanka "a very beautiful face who had no political achievement to her credit".

Reacting on the same, Kharge said: "BJP leaders keep on making such statements. They insult leaders and indulge in loose talk and hence, for Priyanka Gandhi also they will say similar things. We are fighting on ideology. BJP is attempting to break this secular country and this is an ideological fight for us. People who make such personal criticism are not worth continuing in politics.