Guwahati: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have become puppets of the BJP-led NDA government in the Centre, United Opposition Forum (UOF) leader and Assam Trinamool Congress president Ripun Bora alleged on Friday.
“Ninety-five per cent of cases registered by CBI and ED in the last four years from 2019 to 2023 are against leaders of political parties that are rivals of the ruling BJP. Not a single case named any leader of the saffron party,” Bora said addressing a press conference at a city hotel.
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“In contrast, leaders of the Congress and its allies were named in several cases taken up by these two federal agencies when the UPA was in power for 10 years at the Centre from 2004 to 2014,” Bora said.
Bora said that these were manifestations that the BJP is using the CBI and the ED as a tool to control its political rivals.
“The CBI and ED are among the two most important autonomous investigating agencies of the country. But unfortunately, under the BJP-led government since 2014, these are being used by the BJP as puppets and as weapons to control political rivals,” Bora said.
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A total of 129 cases against opposition political leaders have been registered from 2014 to 2023. Of these, the highest of 34 have been registered against TMC leaders, followed by 24 against Congress leaders, 11 against NCP top brass, 8 against Shiv Sena leaders, 6 against DMK, 6 against BJD, 5 against RJD, 5 against BSP, 5 against SP, 5 against TDP, 4 against AAP, 3 against INLD, 3 against YSRCP, 2 against CPM, 2 against NC2 against PDP, 1 against MNP and 1 case against TRS.
“There are no instances of the ED or CBI registering cases against any BJP leader during 2014-2023. Rather, the BJP government has kept pending the old cases under ED and CBI against the party’s leaders,” he said.
He cited instances of cases against Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union minister Narayan Rane and West Bengal leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari.
“These leaders have been cleansed in the BJP’s washing machine,” he also said.
“Fifty-six opposition leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Abhishek Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal and Farooq Abdullah, have been interrogated, arrested or their property raided from 2014-23.”
“These clearly show the vindictive nature of the BJP-led NDA. In contrast, during the 10 years of the UPA regime at the Centre, CBI and ED had registered 26 cases against political leaders, of which 14 were against opposition leaders and the rest were against leaders of Congress or its allies,” he maintained.
Questioning the timing of summons sent to opposition leaders, Bora pointed out that Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal is being called when campaigning for polls in states are on. Vaibhav Gehlot of Congress was called in the middle of the campaign for Rajasthan polls and TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee was summoned as the party’s crucial mass contact programme was going on in West Bengal, he pointed out.
“Whenever there is a major political activity by the opposition parties, their leaders are summoned (by ED or CBI). It is a clear tactic to keep them away from political activities. People are therefore compelled to believe that the prime duty of CBI and ED is to control the political opponents of BJP instead of controlling economic offences and other crimes,” Bora said.
He raised questions on the Centre’s failure to bring back major economic offenders who have allegedly defrauded crores of rupees.