HYDERABAD: The State government’s decision to withdraw consent to CBI to conduct a probe in Telangana without its consent has triggered a heated debate among political circles.
It's timing too is raising eyebrows coming as it did on August 30 in the backdrop of the ongoing CBI probe into the Delhi liquor scam and Income Tax (I-T) raids on prominent real estate firms in the State. The I-T sleuths conducted raids on real estate firms in the State between February and September this year, suspecting money laundering and tax evasion.
One company, in particular, had at the time hidden its documents in a cemetery much to the surprise of even the sleuths. These companies are facing allegations of diverting crores of rupees to real estate and acting as benamis for top political leaders. The whisper in Delhi political circles is that the documentary evidence garnered by the I-T department has been passed on to the CBI.
Similarly, sources told TNIE that the I-T department suspects that transactions of these companies were in the nature of quid pro quo. It is pertinent to note that on the other hand, CBI teams had intensified probe into the Delhi liquor scam and arrested one Abhishek Rao, belonging to Robin Distilleries.
Sources say that rolling back general consent may not hamper the ongoing CBI probe into the liquor scam. Sources told TNIE that there won’t be any problem for the cases already under probe but it may be troublesome for new cases.
Speaking to TNIE, TRS leader Dasoju Sravan alleged that the Modi government was using CBI, ED and such autonomous institutions to keep States governments under its control. “Modi and Amit Shah are using them for blackmail politics. They are infringing on the State’s constitutional rights which is why we have withdrawn consent,” he explained.
Congress' former MP Mallu Ravi had a different take. “KCR should explain why he has withdrawn consent to CBI if he didn’t do anything wrong? It is crystal clear that he has withdrawn consent as there is a possibility of CBI booking cases against him and his family members,” he said.
BJP leader D K Aruna demanded that IT Minister KT Rama Rao, who is repeating ad nauseum on TV channels that there was no question of being afraid of the CBI and ED, should clarify why his government withdrew consent.