'LoP is not a rubber stamp': Rahul Gandhi dissents over CBI Director selection process
New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday submitted a dissent note objecting to the process adopted for selecting the next Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), stating that he was “not a rubber stamp” and that the exercise had been reduced to a “mockery” designed to ensure the appointment of a “pre-decided candidate.”
The selection committee, comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Rahul Gandhi, met in New Delhi to consider eligible candidates for the top post in the CBI.
In his written dissent, Gandhi said he had repeatedly sought access to self-appraisal reports and 360-degree assessments of shortlisted officers in advance, but these were not provided. Instead, he said, details of 69 candidates were handed over only during the meeting.
“The 360-degree reports were denied to me outright. A detailed review of these records is crucial to assess each candidate’s history and performance. This deliberate denial of information, without any legal basis, makes a mockery of the selection process and ensures that only your pre-decided candidate is selected,” Gandhi said in the note.
He pointed out that he had raised similar objections during the previous selection meeting held on May 5 last year and had also written to the committee on October 21 suggesting steps to make the process more transparent. According to him, no response was received.
“By denying the selection committee crucial information, the government has reduced it to a mere formality. The Leader of Opposition is not a rubber stamp. I cannot abdicate my constitutional duty by participating in this biased exercise,” he said.
Gandhi further alleged that the Modi government had “repeatedly misused” the CBI to target political opponents, journalists and critics.
He said the inclusion of the Leader of Opposition in the selection panel was intended to safeguard the independence of the institution and prevent what he described as “institutional capture.”
“Regrettably, you have continued to deny me any meaningful role in the process,” he added.
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Hijab decision taken out of fear of Karnataka Muslim convention, alleges Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru: Union Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy has alleged that the Karnataka government announced its decision on the hijab issue out of fear of the ‘Karnataka Muslim Convention’ scheduled to be held in Bengaluru on May 16 organized by Federation of Karnataka Muslim Organisations.
Addressing a press conference at the JD(S) state office, GP Bhavan, in Bengaluru on Thursday, Kumaraswamy said he respects all religions and has expressed his views on the issue on several public platforms in the past.
Questioning the timing of the government’s move, he said the Congress has been in power for three years and had taken no decision on the hijab issue during that period.
He alleged that the decision was taken only because the ‘Karnataka Muslim Convention’ is scheduled to be held at Town Hall in Bengaluru on May 16.
“If the government had the courage, it should have taken this decision immediately after coming to power. Why did it remain silent for three years?” he asked.
Kumaraswamy accused the Congress of making the announcement to appease a particular community.
He further said the matter is still pending before the courts and claimed that an interim order relating to the hijab issue remains in force.
According to him, issuing such an order before the legal proceedings are concluded amounts to disrespect towards the judiciary.
Kumaraswamy also alleged that the Congress brought the issue back into focus after the Davanagere by-election results.
