New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday accused the Modi government of hiding behind "the veil of technicalities" in not acting on complaints against Central Vigilance Commissioner K V Chowdary who, it alleged, has been its "collaborator in violation of the Constitution".
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), which is directly Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has abdicated its constitutional responsibility by not acting on two complaints received against CVC K V Chowdary and that the PM has "scored a zero in his test of governance".
He claimed bureaucrat Sanjiv Chaturvedi is one of the complainants against Chowdary but the government has not acted against the CVC and is now citing technicalities to wriggle out. He told reporters that Chaturvedi had in July 2017 provided "documentary evidence" of corruption in an infrastructure scam.
"The government sleeps over his complaint and after two years comes up to say that we have not framed any guidelines for action against the CVC. We want to ask Prime Minister Modi, why is there no action against the CVC on the complaint," Singhvi said.
He said it was "an untenable excuse to save its 'Collaborator in violating the Constitution', CVC K V Chowdary from the clutches of law."
"The Modi Government is providing repeatedly escape clauses for inaction and non-action providing flimsy and sad excuses for inaction when they protect their collaborators in violating the Constitution," he alleged.
He alleged that the Government is now hiding behind the imaginary veil of technicalities' to prevent the "imminent removal" of CVC, if the law took its course.
"Will the Congress party frame the guidelines. Is it not a clear attempt to help someone and tide over time. The government should answer why it did not frame the guidelines," he asked.
Modi Government has stated that presently no guidelines to handle complaints of corruption and other misconduct against Chief Vigilance Commissioner/Vigilance Commissioners are in place, in response to an RTI query filed by whistle-blower Indian Forest Service officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi.
Singhvi alleged that the government is providing an escape clause' for CVC's transgressions and CVC has become a "Colossal Veil to Cover Corruption", rather than be a corruption watch dog and policeman.
"I think it is most deplorable that such very high level statutory institutions have been brought to such a pass and entirely by this government which has absolutely no regard for law or convention or principle," he alleged.
"PM Modi, who was so eloquently giving 'gyaan' to youngsters today on Pareeksha' has failed himself and has scored a 0/10 in his Pariksha' to govern this country. Under PM Modi, every institution has been denigrated, damaged, demolished and destroyed. At the risk of repetition- CBI, CVC, CBDT, ED all agencies have been systematically undermined," Singhvi alleged.
The Congress leader said the CVC is not a separate cadre, so the CCS (CCA) Rules apply to the post of the CVC as well. "So nothing bars the Modi government from ordering an investigation into the allegations by Chaturvedi to remove the CVC, if he is found guilty," he said.
"No institution in this country is safe from the influence and illegal practices unleashed by the Modi government with the singular objective to make them subservient. Only 80 days are left, and people are now waiting for this despotic raj' to end ," Singhvi said.
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