Sitaram Yechury hits out at Narendra Modi, says PM's handpicked CBI officer Rakesh Asthana caught 'red-handed'

New Delhi: CPM leader Sitaram Yechury on Tuesday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose “hand-picked” Special CBI Director Rakesh Asthana was “caught red-handed” he said, as the probe agency registered a graft case against one of its own. Communist Party of India-Marxist chief tweeted:

Who patronised this official in his career? Who handpicked him for CBI despite strong opposition by the Director? If this official is now caught "fabricating" documents & taking bribes, should his political patrons in BJP not be asked tough questions too? What is their role?

— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) October 23, 2018

Asthana was brought to the CBI in 2016 after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came to power in 2014 and was tipped to head the agency. Hailing from the Gujarat cadre, he had supervised the probe into the 2002 Godhra tragedy as Inspector General of Police, Vadodara range. Asthana’s elevation to the top post had evoked sharp reactions from the Opposition following which he made way for Alok Verma. He further said a number of “compromised officials with dubious records” have been inducted into top agencies under the Modi regime. “That is not just due to poor governance. But it is due to malafide intention to target political Opposition and save their own under investigation,” he said. “That the CBI is particularly under the spotlight should not surprise us. After all, it was the agency investigating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president (Amit Shah) for a very serious charge. No prizes for guessing how and why his name was ‘cleared’ under a dark cloud,” he said on Twitter. The Left leader said the role of top BJP leadership in “damaging and destroying” the country’s institutions was unparalleled in India’s history. “This is needed to further the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) unconstitutional agenda. Their nefarious designs have to be, and will be defeated,” he tweeted. The CBI on 15 October registered an FIR against Asthana and several others for allegedly accepting bribes to settle a case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi, who is facing multiple cases of money laundering and corruption.