After Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal withdrew consent provided to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) allowing them to enter the state and conduct operations and raids, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s reaction was sharp and along expected lines.
Union finance minister Arun Jaitley, in Bhopal today said that only those who have a lot to hide would take the step of not allowing the CBI to go to their states. Jaitley is in Bhopal to release the BJP’s manifesto for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, scheduled on November 28.
In fact, Arun Jaitley even went ahead and clarified that the move won’t help the Mamata Banerjee government much in the cases that are already under investigation like the Saradha and Narada probes. “These cases cannot be wiped off simply by de-notifying the CBI,” Jaitley has said.
Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal have both gone official saying the CBI cannot conduct investigations (or raids) in the states without permission, withdrawing the general consent given to the central investigating agency.
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Also read: After Chandrababu Naidu, Mamata Banerjee too says no entry for CBI
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CBI has jurisdiction over Delhi, but can enter other states only with the consent of the government of that state. “Chandrababu Naidu has done the right thing… The BJP is a policy changer, name changer, note changer, institution changer and Constitution changer, but not a game changer, because of which the country is in great danger,” Banerjee said at a programme in Kolkata on Friday.
Banerjee has often alleged that the central investigating agency is being used as a tool for the ruling government to target political opponents.
