The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday dismissed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remarks about the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) enjoying full autonomy in investigation, and claimed that the probe agency has been consistently misused by the ruling Congress Party.
"With all due respect to the PM, we certainly differ on this assessment of the autonomy of the CBI by the PM. Over the years, we have cautioned the government about how the CBI has been used as a tool by the Congress," BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitaraman told media here today.
"The autonomy of the CBI is definitely a question, which the government has to, in the context of the Gauhati High Court's ruling, look into seriously, and work out ways for establishing the autonomy of the CBI," she added.
BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, echoing similar statements, said the perception of the CBI being a government-abiding institution, is a result of the misuse by the Congress.
"The Congress Government has misused the CBI, against the opposition, and for protecting its own party leaders. The perception towards CBI is a consequence of Congress misuse, and the autonomy of CBI is being questioned," he said.
Earlier in the day, while addressing a CBI conference in the capital, Prime Minister Singh reiterated that the UPA-II Government would take all necessary steps to establish the need for the CBI and its legitimacy.
He said the Centre would protect the CBI's "past and future work."
"Under law, the police enjoys complete autonomy in investigations," Dr. Singh further said at the XXth conference of the CBI, apparently reacting to the Gauhati High Court's recent ruling declaring the CBI an illegal institution.
Dr. Singh further said that the debate on the CBI and other investigative agencies autonomy has developed political overtones, which he described as unfortunate.
"It would be worthwhile to introspect if the debate on autonomy should lose sight of the fact that the CBI and other investigating agencies are part of the executive. We should be able to clearly distinguish between operational autonomy and the rules of oversight, supervision and control in organizational and institutional matters that are normal for public bodies of the executive funded by public money," Dr. Singh said in his speech at the conference, which is being held on the theme of "Evolving Common Strategies to Combat Corruption and Crime".
