The Trinamool Congress Friday accused the Narendra Modi government of using the CBI for "political vendetta" after the probe agency booked one of its parliamentarians in what has come to be termed the LTC scam.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Friday registered cases against three current and three former Rajya Sabha members, including Trinamool's Debabrata Bandyopadhyay, in the leave and travel concession (LTC) scam and conducted searches at several locations, including their residences.
"For years, the Congress government has used the CBI with a political motive. The BJP is following that sickening path," Trinamool parliamentarian and spokesperson Derek O'Brien said.
"We strongly condemn this attitude of using the CBI with the motive of political vendetta against the main opposition parties. In a democratic setup, this is just not done," he added.
O'Brien dubbed the move a deliberate attempt to malign and humiliate Bandyopadhyay.
"We note with concern and disgust this form of petty politics to malign a gentleman with more than 40 years' copybook public life. His integrity, credibility and honesty for the last four decades have been unquestionable. This is a deliberate attempt to humiliate him."
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"We will fight this in the way we have fought our battles for the last 35 years - politically and democratically," added O'Brien.
Lakhs of rupees are said to have been fraudulently siphoned off from the government through fake leave and travel concession (LTC) claims, availed by government officials to get concessional tickets.
The incident came to light after the vigilance department of Air India (AI) was alerted about the arrest of a man in March at the Kolkata airport with 600 blank boarding passes of the airline in his possession.