‘Mockery of Process’: Rahul Gandhi Gives Dissent Note in CBI Director Selection
The Wire Staff
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New Delhi: Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday (May 12) submitted a dissent note objecting to the process of selection of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)'s director, saying he is not a “rubber stamp” and that the exercise had been reduced to a “mockery” that ensures only a “pre-decided candidate” is selected.
Gandhi added that he cannot participate in the “biased exercise” and abdicate his constitutional duty.
The selection committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and the leader of opposition met in New Delhi on Tuesday. In his note Gandhi said that despite repeated written requests he was denied the self-appraisal reports or 360-degree reports of the eligible candidates in advance and was given details of 69 candidates 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's dissent note said.
Gandhi said that he had recorded his dissent in the previous meeting on May 5 last year and had also written to the committee on October 21 suggesting measures for a transparent process but had not received a response.
"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.
In his note Gandhi also said that the Modi government had "repeatedly misused" the CBI to “target political opponents, journalists and critics” and that the leader of opposition is included in the selection committee “to prevent such institutional capture”.
"Regrettably, you have continued to deny me any meaningful role in the process," he said.
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