New Delhi:Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday raked up the CBI bogey and pointed out that three opposition ruled states of Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh have decided to oppose the functioning of the probe agency in these states.

In this context, he said even during his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister, all ‘Congress-controlled’ CBI and other agencies have tried to ‘harass’ him, but he never tried to stop the functioning of the probe agency in the western state.

Addressing the BJP National Convention here, Modi said, “I fail to understand what is their fear? Why these three states have opposed the functioning of CBI…..What wrong these people have done”.
The remarks come in reference to recent decisions by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and newly installed Congress regime in Chhattisgarh that ‘withdraws’ general sanction for the functioning of the premier agency in these states.
“When I was Gujarat Chief Minister for long 12 years continuously, they did everything to harass me. Congress, their remote controlled officers and the entire Sultanat have not spared a single opportunity to harass me”.

“There was no single agency, which did not create problems for me or harass me….,” Prime Minister said.

Congress leaders also had claimed in 2007 that ‘I would be jailed soon’, Mr Modi said adding – “The Mumbai court verdict (on Sohrabuddin case) has lately made it clear that the Congress wanted to implicate me. They had even jailed Amit Shah”.

But, he said despite all that harassment, as Gujarat Chief Minister, “we never made any rule that would prevent the functioning of CBI in the state of Gujarat”.

“We also had powers, we knew the law and could have framed such norms (as done by West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh),” Prime Minister pointed out adding, “we did not do so because we have faith in the rule of law. We have faith in the principle of difference between truth and falsehood”.

Modi said, “Today these leaders (Chief Ministers in Andhra, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh) do not have faith in CBI, tomorrow they will not have faith in some other institutions — Supreme Court, army, Election….as if everyone is wrong”.

“Can people with such mindset be ever trusted,” Prime Minister asked.

“Whatever is not according to their liking, they are opposed to those,” Modi said.

Lokshahi vs Rajshahi

The National Herald case

Modi asserted that the Congress President and her family are currently on bail in the National Herald case, which incidentally, is a case that is running since 2012, when the UPA Government was in power at the Centre.

He said that the case clearly exposes land grab and embezzlement on the part of Congress leaders. He said various agencies, including the Income Tax Department, the CBI, the ED are probing the matter from different angles. They have sent summons and notices. But the Congress First Family considers itself to be above these institutions. They do not co-operate with the investigation, he explained. Modi said that the Congress leaders wish to hide their wealth and their tax returns from the people.

How can these people, out on bail, disrespectful of institutions, ever respect the country, he asked.

He recalled that for ten years, they sent all kinds of notices to him. But trusting the law and trusting the institutions, Modi said, he followed all procedures and himself appeared before the SIT for hours.

He described this as the fundamental difference between the BJP and the Congress leaders. While the BJP believes in democratic institutions (Lokshahi), the Congress seems to believe only in autocracy (Rajshahi).

The battle between those who have faith in the Sultanate vs those who have faith in the Samvidhan

Narendra Modi wondered why three State Governments – Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh – have stopped the CBI from functioning in their respective States.

He wondered what the Governments in these States are scared of.

He recalled the time when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat. For 12 years, he said, the Congress and its ecosystem tried to create trouble for him, he recalled. They used all their agencies to harass him. He recalled that a senior Congress Minister had declared in Gujarat in 2007, that Modi will be in jail within a few months.

He recalled the recent judgement of a CBI court, which made it clear that the UPA Government worked with the single-minded agenda of trapping Modi, by hook or by crook.

Yet, he said, the Gujarat government did not take such a decision to prevent CBI from functioning in Gujarat. He said that the BJP trusts the law, and has faith in the truth. He added that by contrast, on the other side are people who are scared that their misdeeds will be exposed. He said this fear is promoting them to attack institutions. He said they seem to mistrust practically every institution, the CBI, the Army, the Supreme Court, the Election Commission, and the CAG.

He asked the gathering whether it is prudent to allow such people to hold the reins of the nation.

In a strongly worded and impassioned tone, he said that this has now become a battle between those who want the rule of the Constitution (Samvidhan), against those forces, who are struggling to save their Sultanate.

Modi attacks Congress for conspiring to delay the Ayodhya verdict

In a stinging attack on the Congress, the Prime Minister accused the party of preventing a timely resolution of the Ayodhya issue. He said that the Congress party is using its lawyers to repeatedly disrupt the judicial proceedings in the Ayodhya case.

He recalled that the Congress is so keen to ensure that the Ayodhya dispute does not get resolved, that they were even ready to launch impeachment proceedings against the Chief Justice of India.

Modi also gave several instances to explain how the Congress has opposed any move that strengthens the nation. They opposed the Enemy Property Act; they opposed granting of Constitutional status to the OBC Commission; they opposed the celebration of International Yoga Day; and now they are opposing the Citizenship Amendment Bill, he observed.