Political storm in Delhi regarding the appointment of CBI Director! Rahul Gandhi accused the Modi government of “fixing” the selection process. CBI’s misuse of hiding 69 names, 360-degree report and claim of “already decided candidate” in 1 hour created a big controversy on BJP vs Congress and political transparency. Now the question is-Who will be the next chief of the country’s largest investigation agency?
CBI Director Appointment Controversy: The political temperature of the capital has reached sky high regarding the selection of the new chief of the country’s largest investigating agency, CBI. Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi has written a strong letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising serious questions on the transparency of the selection process. Rahul Gandhi alleges that the government has made this entire process a ‘formality’ and an attempt is being made to completely sideline the role of the opposition.
Suspense-filled meeting: 60 minutes and 69 names
The high-profile meeting called for the election of CBI director was no less than a suspense thriller. Rahul Gandhi claims that in just one hour’s meeting, names of 69 candidates were placed before him. He raised the question whether it is possible to properly analyze the careers and records of so many officers in such a short period? According to Rahul Gandhi, “The leader of the opposition is not a rubber stamp who is called only to seal the deal.”
Scroll to load tweet…
Files missing or information guarded? Stuck in ‘360-degree’ report
The biggest reason for Rahul Gandhi’s displeasure is the lack of detailed information about the candidates. He alleged that despite repeated requests, he was not given ‘self-appraisal’ and ‘360-degree’ reports of the candidates. According to him, these documents are mandatory to understand the history and functionality of any officer. “The deliberate refusal to provide information confirms that the government has already decided its candidate, and makes a mockery of the selection process,” the LoP said in a strongly worded letter to the PM.
Scroll to load tweet…
These 3 ‘giants’ in the race: Who will be crowned CBI Chief?
The tenure of current director Praveen Sood is ending on May 24, before which the new name is certain to be approved. Currently three names are leading in this race:
- Gyanendra Pratap Singh: Presently Director General of CRPF.
- Parag Jain: Head of Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).
- Shatrujeet Kapoor: Leader of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). All three officers have long experience in intelligence and law and order matters, but Rahul Gandhi’s disagreement has created a cloud of controversy over this selection.
Citizenship controversy and the shadow of Parliament’s ‘silence’
Amidst this selection controversy, Rahul Gandhi himself is surrounded on many fronts. Recently, the Allahabad High Court has put a stay on the petition regarding his ‘dual citizenship’ (British citizenship), but this issue has not been put to rest. At the same time, Rahul Gandhi accused the government of preventing him from speaking in Parliament. His latest attack on the CBI issue shows that he is in a mood to further raise his voice against the government. The new leadership of CBI can be announced any time now, but Rahul Gandhi’s ‘dissent note’ has added a big question mark to this appointment.