PRESSBUREAU
New Delhi: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday night submitted a note of dissent during the Prime Minister-led search committee meeting to select the new CBI chief. Gandhi objected to the process, stating that the appraisal records of the prospective candidates were not made available to him in advance.
"The Leader of Opposition is not a rubber stamp. I can't abdicate my constitutional duty by participating in this biased exercise," Gandhi said in his brief five-paragraph note of dissent.
Alleging that the government had repeatedly misused the CBI to target political opponents, journalists and critics, and arguing that the inclusion of the LoP in the search panel was intended to prevent institutional capture, Gandhi further wrote in his note to the PM: "Regrettably, you have continued to deny me any meaningful role in the process. Despite repeated written requests, I was not provided with the self-appraisal reports or 360-degree reports of the eligible candidates."
Instead, he said, he was expected to examine the records of 69 candidates for the first time during the meeting, thereby denying him the scope for a proper review of the records of prospective candidates. This, he said, "made a mockery of the selection process and ensured only your pre-decided candidate is selected." Gandhi also expressed regret that he had not received any response to his earlier notes of dissent suggesting ways to make the selection process fairer.