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Targeting the political class, Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress of misusing the Central Bureau of Investigation while in power. He also took on Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee for not being vocal about Lokpal like she was on the issue of Foreign Direct Investment in retail.
"Successive governments have misused the CBI," Kejriwal said while addressing a gathering at Jantar Mantar, the venue of the day-long fast of Anna Hazare.
Kejriwal also criticised the government in the Taj Corridor case, alleging that the CBI had told the Supreme Court at one point that no case was made out against Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati.
"In August 2003, the CBI filed a case against Mayawati and in 2005, she was questioned. But in 2007, T V Rajeshwar Rao, the then Uttar Pradesh governor, who was perceived to be a Congress supporter, refused permission for filing an FIR," he said.
"In return, Mayawati supported the Congress and voted in favour of its presidential candidate Pratibha Patil. In April 2010, the CBI told the Supreme Court that they are closing the case against her. Then she supported the UPA during a cut motion. But in September this year, the CBI said it was going to charge sheet her as they have evidence against her," he added.
Kejriwal also accused the BJP of using the CBI against Jayalalithaa with the support of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. The Congress high command, Rahul Gandhi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal and Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi were also targeted by Kejriwal. Sibal came in for criticism for limiting the number of
SMSes to 200 per mobile number and his efforts to monitor inflammatory content in social networking sites, with Kejriwal alleging that these were meant to curb Hazare's campaign.
Kejriwal's comments came ahead of politicians taking the stage at Jantar Mantar.
Attacking the Congress leadership, Kejriwal said, "Culture of the high command is biggest threat to our culture. Is our country a true democracy? The prime minister writes a letter to Anna, says Parliament resolution accepts lower bureaucracy and the Lokayukta demands but the Standing Committee throws this letter in dustbin."
"The Standing Committee trashed the PM's letter but accepts the suggestion that Lokpal should have a constitutional status. Why? Because Rahul Gandhi wants it. Only one man's suggestion matters. This is democracy by the high command, for the high command (and) of the high command," he said, adding after being elected, the MPs do not ask people what kind of law they want.
Instead, he claimed, they asked the party high command as to how they want the law to be. "Laws in Parliament are not to be made in accordance with people's wishes but in accordance with the high command's wishes," he alleged.
"For five years, only one or two people matter in the party and they rule as kings and queens of the country without giving any answers to the country. We are not referring to just one party but all of them where such high command culture is being followed," he said.
Referring to Mamata Banerjee, he asked why she was silent on the Lokpal issue. "Why is Mamata silent on this issue? She played a good role on FDI in retail." He also referred to the Bihar chief minister saying that they respected him, but added that they will protest against a "weak" draft of the Lokayukta bill in his state.