BJP trying to pressurise CBI: Congress MP

PANAJI - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is attempting to pressurise the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to go slow on its leaders being probed for various offences by staging nationwide protests against the agency, a Congress MP Tuesday said.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference here, Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik said that BJP president Nitin Gadkari’s repeated tongue-lashing of the CBI during his visit to Goa last week was another example of BJP’s attempt to brow-beat the investigative agency.

“Gadkari wants to protect their former Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, who is being probed by the CBI for the alleged IFFI (International Film Festival of India) scam,” Naik said.

The former state Congress president also said that while a nation-wide protest against issues like price rise was acceptable, a similar expansive all-India campaign against the CBI was disgusting.

“They are worried that their leaders like (former BJP chief L.K.) Advani, Parrikar who are all being probed by different agencies, will be jailed,” Naik allged.

Calling Gadkari a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) man “on deputation to the BJP”, Naik accused the BJP leaders of “murdering secularism” everyday.

“They should be charged like (26/11 convict Ajmal Amir) Kasab for waging war against the country. If one attacks secularism here, it should amount to waging war against our nation,” he said.