The raid on M K Stalin's house and the subsequent developments could be described as a comedy of errors, revealing the lack of political savvy on the part of the leaders of the government and the Congress. From the prime minister (PM) to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief, each averred that he was not aware of the raid in advance. The PM could have stopped with saying he was not informed about it beforehand. It would have given credibility to the oft-repeated statement of the government that although under the charge of a minister of state (MoS) in the PM's office, the CBI functions independently. On the other hand, the condemnation of the action by the PM and another three Cabinet ministers was tantamount to interference in the CBI's working. What is worse, the raid was called off, instead of being taken to its logical conclusion, after Sonia Gandhi was reported to have spoken to MoS V Narayanasami in charge of the CBI. What authority does she have to instruct the minister in the matter?
A Seshan, Mumbai
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