Janjivan Bureau
New Delhi: As the CBI conducted simultaneous raids at the Shimla and Delhi residences of Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister of the Congress government in Himachal, the party came down heavily on the ruling BJP saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi was fostering an atmosphere of Emergency in the country.
Accusing the NDA government of using the CBI to target BJP’S political opponents, including Virbhadra, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday said: “The BJP government is trying to destroy democracy and impose dictatorship in India. We want to ask the Prime Minister whether there is an undeclared emergency in the country. We condemn the political use of CBI to target not just our leaders, but all opposition leaders, including Mulayam Singh Yadav of Samajwadi Party, Mayawati of BSP and Mamata Banerjee of the TMC. The government, which faces a minority in Rajya Sabha, wants to arm twist the opposition into falling in line. But we want to remind them, the Congress never bowed to the British, what is the BJP.”
Criticising the CBI raids at Virbhadra Singh’s residences on the day when his daughter was getting married in Shimla, Azad asked the manner in which the CBI was probing a matter pending before both the Delhi High Court and the Income tax Appellate tribunal in Chandigarh.
“We appeal to the judiciary to rise to the occasion and question CBI’s misuse by the Centre. The IT case of Virbhadra Singh is old. It’s pending. He has filed income-tax returns on his apple orchard remuneration. Why is the CBI interfering with an IT matter? “Azad asked.
The Congress leader also questioned the eagerness being displayed by the government in targeting Virbhadra, while not being bothered to act against the Chief Ministers of the states where it is in power.
“Why is the PM not acting against Sushma Swaraj, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje who lost Rs 45,000 crore by failing to auction 653 mines, Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh involved in PDS scam and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan involved in Vyapam scam. Why is the central probe agency being sent only after opposition leaders? Azad said.
He said the countdown of the BJP government had begun the way it did in 1978 when the then Janata Party government was ousted after it blatantly targeted late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.