Jaipur (Rajasthan): With the Rajasthan government withdrawing its "general consent" to the CBI to conduct raids and investigations, state minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas on Tuesday said that the Congress government had no other choice but to take the decision as there was no longer any trust on the central agency.
Speaking ahead of the Congress legislature party meeting, Khachariyawas said that the state government had no other choice but to take the decision on CBI as it has been misusing it powers.
"We have seen what happened in the Anandpal encounter case. Those fighting for justice were made the culprits by CBI. There used to be trust in the CBI earlier, it no longer exists," he said.
The minister said that ever since the 'horse-trading' audio clips surfaced, the CBI has been activated, prompting the state to take the decision.
"When the audio clips came out, the CBI asked for a report. Who are they to directly ask for the report?" he asked.
Khacharivayas said that the audio clips were authentic, and the SOG was investigating to find out the voices in the clips.
"If the BJP feels otherwise, they should send their voice samples to prove it," he said.
Read: Gehlot's unparliamentary words against Pilot demeaning CM post: Rathore
The Rajasthan government has withdrawn its "general consent" to the CBI to conduct raids and investigations, and the agency will now need prior permission from the state, a development which comes amid the political crisis.
The state government issued a notification requiring the CBI to take prior consent of the state government for investigation of an offence under section three of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946.
According to the officials, the 'general consent' of the state government will no longer be valid in the offences under this law. Consent will have to be taken on a case-by-case basis.
Officials said that in June 1990 too the Rajasthan government had refused to give such 'general consent' to the Centre.
Read: HC likely to pronounce order on petition filed by Pilot, 18 other rebel Cong MLAs today
The ruling Congress is facing a rebellion by party leader Sachin Pilot and 18 other MLAs against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. A probe by the state police into alleged horse trading charges based on purported tapped conversation of some leaders has turn the situation murkier.
A similar action related to CBI had been taken by West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh governments in 2018, alleging that the Centre was misusing the agency to harass opponents.
(With inputs from agencies)
