Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday stepped up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over removal of CBI chief Alok Verma, claiming PM Modi post-midnight decision as a panic reaction to the agency’s move to probe the Rafale fighter jet deal.
“The question is why was he removed at 2 am… The main reason is that CBI was going to begin investigation in role of Prime Minister in Rafale and the corruption by Prime Minister in the Rafale deal,” he said.
“CBI Director was not only removed, his room was sealed. The incriminating documents that were with him were taken away and that is why the work was done at 2 am. Not only the director is being removed, efforts are also made to suppress evidence,” Gandhi said, according to news agency ANI.
The Congress has questioned the legitimacy of Alok Verma’s removal given that the CBI chief has a fixed two-year tenure and Verma’s term runs till January-end.
In a letter to PM Modi earlier in the day, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge had also insisted that neither the government nor the Central Vigilance Commission had the power to divest Verma of the director’s charge and appoint an interim director.
Gandhi echoed the argument.
Gandhi said Verma’s removal from the post was not just an insult to the Constitution of India but also “illegal and criminal”.