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CBI raids Stalin’s house, triggers row Chennai/New Delhi, March 21 An angry DMK said the CBI raid at the Chennai home of party supremo M Karunanidhi's son was an act of “political vendetta” while the Centre disapproved of the searches and said it was not aware of the events. Under fire for conducting the searches, CBI sought to defend its action, saying it was “strictly” in accordance with procedures and there was no intention whatsoever to target any particular individual. “We are all upset at these events. The government had no role in this that I am sure of. We will find out the details. This should not have...(happened). The timing of the raid is most unfortunate,” Singh said reflecting the Centre's anguish over the raids. Searches were carried out at 19 places across Tamil Nadu, including at Stalin's home this morning in a case of alleged tax evasion of imported cars prompting strong reactions even from the Centre. Finance Minister P Chidambaram was among the ministers who disapproved of the searches within hours after it started. Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said “somebody has played mischief” having full knowledge of the political situation. Stalin(60), considered as a political heir to 88-year-old Karunanidhi, called the action a “political vendetta” but the DMK supremo himself did not want to speculate and appear to share his son's conclusion. Asked if he thought the CBI raid was part of a “political vendetta” as described by Stalin, an enigmatic DMK chief said, “Generally the DMK is being subjected to acts of political vendetta. This may be or may not be one of such acts.” He, however, indicated he believed that the action had been taken without the government's knowledge as claimed by central ministers. “If the Central minister says that the raids happened without the knowledge (of the government), I cannot say I cannot believe it,” Karunanidhi said replying to a question by reporters in Chennai. The DMK, which pulled out of the UPA on Tuesday, withdrew its ministers yesterday. In New Delhi, the CBI came out with a statement explaining why the searches were carried out in the case registered yesterday. “The CBI wishes to clarify that the operation was strictly in accordance with procedures and there was no intention whatsoever to target any particular individual,” it said. Chidambaram said he strongly disapproved of the CBI action. “Whatever be the reason, I am afraid, it is bound to be misunderstood. I have conveyed my views to the minister incharge,” said the Finance Minister. V Narayanasamy, who is the Minister of State in the PMO and Department of Personnel and Training(DoPT), is the minister in-charge of the CBI. Endorsing Chidambaram's views, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said, “I strongly disapproved the action against Stalin.” — PTI Tax evasion
Searches were carried out at 19 places across Tamil Nadu, including at Stalin's home on Thursday morning in a case of alleged tax evasion of imported cars
Probe agency denies political link New Delhi, March 21 The CBI stated that the searches had no link with any political development at the Centre but was in connection with a complaint it received in March that 33 vehicles were imported to Tamil Nadu. Some were subsequently sold in violation of import provisions causing a loss of up to Rs 48 crore to the exchequer. BJP leader Arun Jaitley accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of “blatantly interfering (in CBI’s work) and “crippling” it - hindering its routine investigation following reports that the raids were stopped following a directive from the Centre. “Merely because it has a political fallout, it is improper for any Prime Minister or a Finance Minister to so blatantly interfere in the functioning of the CBI and cripple it from carrying on its routine investigations. “If this was a search in the normal course of CBI investigation, the CBI is entitled to carry out that search. What business does the government have or the political regime have to interfere in the CBI and in stopping that search?” he said. Dubbing the CBI as Congress Bureau of Investigation, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury said that the Prime Minister’s statement that he did not know what his government was doing was a sad state of affairs. “The only authority who stopped these raids will be the one who ordered it,” he said.
guest column To say there is not a dull day in India is no exaggeration. Invariably, one of the government agencies provides us the entertainment that we so badly need. This time it is the much-maligned CBI that has given us some moments of hilarity. Sleuths made the cardinal mistake of walking into the house of DMK demigod Stalin this morning looking for a car that had been allegedly bought illegally evading the statutory import duty. The vehicle was never there, and someone in the household had obviously tipped off the media or the corridors of power in Delhi about the raid. Official circles released statements denouncing the CBI action. CBI officers staged a hasty retreat. It is not clear whether they had completed their operation. The outrage in the official quarters in the capital is over its timing. This is a justified response because the ink has not yet dried on the letters of resignation of DMK Ministers from the Union Cabinet following differences over the way New Delhi handled the violence against the Tamils in Sri Lanka. Coming against this backdrop, the CBI action is considered more than suspect. DMK leaders have been quick to depict it as 'political vendetta', a very natural reaction. The saving grace is that Karunanidhi has reacted mildly. For once the Centre's stand that it had nothing to do with the raid is extremely credible. Obviously the CBI raid was procedural, as
its spokesman has claimed. I am not very sure whether it had the approval of the Director. It is possible that the decision was taken at a much lower level, and the chief or the deputy concerned had no clue of the sensitivities involved. In a perfect and ideal world, the CBI raid was not only lawful but was also the right way to investigate a registered case. But in an imperfect and real world, what the organization did was a blunder. It revealed a certain lack of understanding of the political environment. The Stalin episode throws up several issues and confirms fears about the freedom the elite investigation agency enjoys. The CBI's autonomy is now worse than a myth. The agency operates under severe constraints. It is subject to the impact of political compulsions that a ruling party or coalition suffers from. Many political pundits believe that this is how it should be in a democracy. To demand total freedom for an agency whose action is fraught with serious consequences for the highest in the political firmament has become preposterous. If a CBI director is oblivious to this or is insensitive to political goings-on, misfortune will visit him swiftly. I am afraid this is what is going to happen in the next few days. But then any punitive action against any CBI officer connected with today's raid is not only unjust but legally untenable, so long as all legal formalities had been observed by him before walking into Stalin's house. Any disguised disciplining of those involved in the raid would also send out a wrong message and could demoralize CBI ranks. The fundamental question then is how to fuse objectivity with the vicissitudes of politics in the country in whatever the CBI does or is expected to do. Let us not wish away the realities of the current scenario. We need to find a modus vivendi between the competing pressures of law and ground realities for an agency forever under the scrutiny by the polity, courts, media and an increasingly knowledgeable public. This is difficult to find. The effort is worth the
labour. Lack of understanding In a perfect and ideal world, the CBI raid was not only lawful but was also the right way to investigate a registered case. But in an imperfect and real world, what the organisation did was a blunder. It revealed a certain lack of understanding of the political environment (The writer is a former CBI Director)
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The CBI today raided the house of DMK leader M K Stalin — two days after the ally pulled out of the UPA — triggering a political controversy with an upset Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying its timing was “unfortunate”.
The decision of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to carry out searches at the residence of DMK leader MK Stalin in Chennai created a fresh controversy for the Central government that came under attack from the Opposition for using the premier investigation agency for political purposes, a charge vehemently denied both by the government and the CBI.