Indeed, it’s Congress Bureau of Investigation
Within 24 hours of the DMK pulling out of the United Progressive Alliance Government and withdrawing all forms of support to it, the Central Bureau of Investigation raided the premises of DMK leader MK Stalin in connection with a case of alleged irregularities in the import of cars. Regardless of the merits of the case, the development tells us just how ‘independent' the CBI is. It also shows how blatantly the Congress uses the country's premier investigating agency to wreak revenge. That the Government ‘called off’ the raids after it came under sharp attack from various quarters and political parties, is further evidence of the Congress-led regime's manipulation of the CBI. It shows that the Congress has no qualms about unleashing the probe agency on its political opponents, and calling off the campaign once the opponent falls in line or when the crackdown boomerangs — as it has happened in Mr Stalin's case. It cannot be a coincidence that Mr Stalin had reportedly been the most vociferous voice within the DMK to call for snapping links with the UPA, nor can it be forgotten that he is slated to take over from party supremo M Karunanidhi in due course of time. The Congress, therefore, decided to rein him in at the earliest opportunity. After all, the car import case in which probe authorities have claimed duties were evaded has been around for some time now. But the Congress said and did nothing in the period that the DMK was its ally. That the UPA regime has blundered is evident in the profuse regret which senior leaders of the Congress such as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Minister for Finance P Chidambaram, among others, have been offering since the issue blew up in the Government’s face. They have been quick to admit that the raids could be misunderstood in the backdrop of the recent political developments. But the damage has been done and the Congress has showed the DMK the trailer of a full-length film. In the event, nobody, least of all the DMK, has misunderstood the raids. On the contrary, everyone has understood the underlying message only too well.
However, it is not the first time that the Congress has been accused (with ample justification) of misusing the CBI to win over or punish political opponents. The manner in which the Government, led by the party at the Centre, has been apparently directing the CBI on cases involving two of its supporters (for now), Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav and Ms Mayawati, offers a valuable lesson in skullduggery. At the behest of the Congress-led regime, the CBI has done many about-turns and somersaults in those cases, leading even to a frustrated Supreme Court to wonder what the Government's position really was. The flip-flops on different occasions have invariably been in consonance with the relationship that the two parties shared with the Congress on those occasions. It's not that the SP or the BSP are unaware of the Congress's duplicity. SP leaders have, for instance, in recent weeks openly commented that the Congress has been using the threat of the CBI in a bid to keep them under ‘check'. The final take-away from such instances and the latest Stalin episode is that the CBI must be freed from Government control.