With the United Progressive Alliance likely to weather the threat of cut-motions by having the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Bahujan Samaj Party on its side, the Bharatiya Janata Party accused the Congress-led regime of using the Central Bureau of Investigation as a "Damocles' sword" against vulnerable opposition leaders, a charge also levelled by Janata Dal (U).
"Events of the last few days have once again proved that the UPA and the Congress are misusing CBI as a political instrument for their own survival," leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley told the media on Tuesday.
He accused the government of "systematically" using the CBI in the last six years against its political opponents under a three-fold strategy.
"UPA has used the CBI to whitewash and cover up offences against the Congress and the UPA leaders, keep Damocles' sword hanging on the heads of vulnerable opposition leaders particularly from the BSP, the SP and the RJD, and harass opposition leaders not vulnerable to governmental pressure," Jaitley said.
Jaitley alleged the UPA government had earlier diluted the Taj Corridor case against Mayawati in 2007, but when the BSP was supporting the no-confidence motion against the government in 2008, the disproportionate case against her was activated.
"Suddenly in April 2010, a statement is made before the Supreme Court seeking to dilute the case of disproportionate assets against Mayawati when her support is required in the cut-motion in Lok Sabha," Jaitley said.
He maintained that the shadowboxing between the UPA and the BSP stands exposed today.
The JD(U) chief also hit out at the government saying it was using the CBI to rope in parties in its favour on the finance bill.
Jaitley also alleged that affidavits in the case against Mulayam Singh Yadav were changed depending on the circumstances when he supported the government or when he opposed it.
The eminent lawyer said the case against recipients of bribe in Bofors scam was also "systematically finished by misusing the CBI" and the disproportionate case against RJD chief Lalu Prasad was "weakened by changing the Public Prosecutor" and not allowing the state government to file an appeal in the case.
Jaitley also cited an example about CBI probe in the Babri Masjid demolition case in which senior BJP leader L K Advani is an accused.
"The case is being proceeded on the basis of a factually false basis... by changing the interpretation of Advani's appeal to the kar sewaks to come down from the disputed structure. The whole basis of the CBI case is that this appeal by Advani was intended to protect kar sewaks from injury," Jaitley said.
He accused successive CBI directors of succumbing to the pressure of the government and the agency loosing its investigative integrity in the process.
"There appears to be no doubt that the CBI has lost its entire credibility as an impartial and independent investigation agency. It has become a political arm of the government," he said.
