CBI buckling under political pressure

Hyderabad,
March 24, 2013: Taking strong objection to the CBI remarks that there is no deadline
for the investigation of the 26 GOs case, YSR Congress has said vested
interests are trying to keep YS Jagan Mohan Reddy away from the people as they
are scared of his growing popularity.

“The recent Tamil Nadu example is another blur on the CBI style or
functioning and a CBI official telling media that there was no commitment on
closing the 26 GOs investigation case before March 31 is nothing but buckling
under political pressure,” party spokesperson Ambati Rambabu told reporters
here on Sunday.

CBI Joint Director, VV Lakshminarayana speaking to media after
questioning Rajya Sabha member KVP Ramachandra Rao, said that the March 31
deadline is created by the media and tried to distance himself from it.

“It may be recalled that on October 5, CBI told the Supreme Court that
it will complete the investigation within two months but more leverage was
given to complete it by March end. This was contested by the counsel of YS
Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Now if the CBI official says there is no such binding, it only means
that political compulsions are mounting pressure on the other procedures, “he
said. 

It is ten months since YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is in jail and the mandatory
90 days are over and he is eligible for bail but political adversaries and
vested interests are trying to prolong his stay as they are under the false
impression that his base will erode, if he is kept away from the people.

“Their plan has boomeranged and the high success rate in the
by-elections speaks of that. Our Honorary President, YS Vijaymma is leading the
Party form the front and Sharmila’s padayatra is being well received and people
are looking forward for YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s leadership.

The functioning of CBI has always been dubious in the 26 GOs case and
discrimination is clearly visible. While one minister was arrested another was
soft-peddled, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who nothing to do with the GOs, was put in
jail.

Above all, the other ministers and bureaucrats have told the Supreme
Court that all the 26 GOs are in order. Still YSJagan Mohan Reddy is being held
in jail and it could be only due to political motives and CBI is being used as
tool to settle political scores, he said.

The CBI official, who said that the March 31 deadline was media
creation, should have given a rejoinder as per the manual and condemn it. “The
selective leaks by CBI has been a known charade in the 26 GOs case and even ten
months after the arrest of Jagan, if the Congress leaders want to use CBI to
keep the popular leader in jail, their plans will fall flat in the public
court,” he said.

The way in which the case has proceeded from FIR to the unlawful arrest
on May 27 to the delay in filing the final charge-sheet, the sequence of events
point towards political interference, he said adding that the March end
time-frame was told by the CBI to the apex court and the investigation agency
issue a rebuttal if it is not true.