Rahul Gandhi objects to CBI chief selection, alleges biased process

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday night submitted a note of dissent during the Prime Minister-headed search committee meeting to choose the new CBI chief. Gandhi objected to the process, saying the appraisal records of the probable candidates were not made available to him in advance.

"The Leader of Opposition is not a rubber stamp. I can't abdicate my constitutional duty by participating in this biased exercise," Gandhi said in his brief five-paragraph note of dissent.

Alleging that the government had repeatedly misused the CBI to target political opponents, journalists and critics, and arguing that the inclusion of the LoP in the search panel was meant to prevent institutional capture, Gandhi further wrote in his note to the PM: "Regrettably, you have continued to deny me any meaningful role in the process. Despite repeated written requests, I was not provided with the self-appraisal reports or 360-degree reports of the eligible candidates."


Instead, he said, he was expected to examine the records of 69 candidates for the first time during the meeting, thus denying him the scope for a proper review of the records of probable candidates.

This, he said, "made a mockery of the selection process and ensured only your pre-decided candidate is selected."

Gandhi also lamented that he had not received any response to his previous notes of dissent suggesting ways to make the selection process fairer.