Ayodhya case: BJP slams CBI's 'partisan' role

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday accused the Central Bureau of Investigation of playing a "partisan" role in pursuing the Ayodhya case against party leader L K Advani and decided to raise the issue in Parliament.

At its weekly meeting in New Delhi, the BJP parliamentary party discussed the role of the CBI in a number of cases and decided that these issues be raised in both Houses with the utmost seriousness.

"We discussed how despite the Supreme Court rejecting Advani's role in Ayodhya case time and again, the CBI is pursuing this case with an ulterior motive and engaging in selective leaks to the media though the matter is pending in the Supreme Court. This is deplorable," BJP chief spokesperson

Ravi Shankar Prasad said, adding that at the same time, the CBI is also shielding the government in corruption cases.

"The deliberate witch-hunting by the CBI in the Ayodhya case was discussed in our meeting. The Supreme Court has thrice rejected the plea that the two cases (regarding Babri Masjid demolition) need to be clubbed. But the CBI has raked up the issue again after 11 years," Prasad said.

"The CBI is working through an agenda as a front of the Congress party. When Parliament is in session, it is deliberately playing the political game of the Congress party...The sinister, malafide, motivated partisan role of the CBI in the last two months shall be highlighted inside and outside Parliament," Prasad said.

The BJP also decided to demand suspension of Question Hour in both Houses to discuss the Aircel-Maxis deal in which then Finance Minister P Chidambaram's son was allegedly favoured.

"The CBI is trying to torpedo a fair investigation in the entire deal in which Dayanidhi Maran had forced the owner of the company to sell shares," Prasad claimed.

The BJP has alleged that Maran played an "active role" in the Aircel-Maxis deal which is now being investigated by the CBI.

"The clearance given by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) was deliberately delayed. The clearance was done in October 2006 and not in April as claimed by the government," Prasad said.

The opposition claimed the documents related to the case "prove" that the clarification given by the government is not based on facts.

"We will raise this issue seriously in both Houses. This is a direct matter of conflict of interest in case of Chidambaram," Prasad said.

He said this is a glaring case of the government not coming out with true facts pertaining to deliberate delay in the FIPB clearance of the Aircel-Maxis deal because of the interest of the then finance minister.

The BJP meeting also discussed the amicus curiae report against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the post- Godhra riots of 2002.

The "amicus curiae has no role in the investigation. He has commented on the testimony of a pre-motivated officer like Sanjeev Bhatt. The Congress is spreading false rumours. Modi made all efforts to control the riots," Prasad said.