New Delhi, May 10 (ANI): Taking potshots at the ruling Congress Party at the Centre, the Bharatiya Janata Party said on Friday alleged that the UPA Government gives its 'corrupt ministers' adequate time to erase evidence.
"They have been doing this from the beginning. When the crime comes to light, they give adequate time to the culprits to erase all evidence related to the crime. If you look back, all the ministers who have resigned and all the scams that have emerged whether it is 2G or Commonwealth or any scams before that," said BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.
"In every case, the government gives sufficient time to the culprits to remove all traces of evidence," he added.
Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Ram Gopal Yadav on his part criticised the Central Government for using the CBI to safeguard its vested interest.
"The CBI is investigating into the Pawan Bansal matter. The accused, who have been arrested in connection with the case, including the nephew of Pawan Bansal are being interrogated. In both the cases, the government is using the investigative agencies as armor and the government is saying that until the investigation is complete, they will not take any action," said Yadav.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that the Railway Minister should have resigned on moral grounds.
"If he has even a bit of morality in him then there was no need to ask for a resignation. There was no need to bear such criticism. The day his nephew was arrested, he should have handed in his resignation. But the ministers of our country are so shameless that even if they are caught they will not resign," said Raut.
"The CBI is going to inquire into the matter. And every day new scams are emerging. Therefore, I don't feel there is any need to ask, Pawan Kumar Bansal should have resigned on his own," he added.
Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal is likely to be quizzed soon by the CBI in connection with the alleged Rs 10 crore bribery scandal involving his nephew V Singla and Railway Board member Mahesh Kumar, both of whom reportedly met at his residence.
The investigating agency earlier on Thursday grilled Bansal's personal secretary Rahul Bhandari, a 1997 batch Punjab cadre IAS officer, who is believed to be privy to all the crucial decisions taken in the Railway Ministry.
A Delhi Court yesterday sent five accused, including Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla, to judicial custody till 20 May in connection with the Rs 10 crore railway bribery case.
The Special CBI Judge Swarna Kanta Sharma sent Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla, suspended Railway Board member Mahesh Kumar, and three other accused-Singla's close aide Ajay Garg, businessman Sandeep Goyal and Managing Director of GG Tronics India Pvt Ltd, Narain Rao Manjunath-to judicial custody after they were presented in court.
The CBI, which moved an application seeking to send them in judicial custody, said the investigation in this case is in progress and it is still at an initial stage.
The investigating agency told the court that crucial witnesses are yet to be examined and some documents are to be collected from various departments.
The court while accepting the CBI's plea sent all the five accused to judicial custody.
Bansal had earlier said that he had no business links with him and denied any wrongdoing.
64-year-old Bansal, who was made Railway Minister in October last year, also sought an expeditious CBI inquiry into the issue.
"I have always observed highest standard of probity in public life and look forward to an expeditious investigation by CBI in the matter," he said.
The Railway Minister has reportedly told the Congress leadership, including Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, that he has no business links with his nephew.
Union Law and Justice Minister Ashwani Kumar is also under sharp criticism after the Supreme Court rapped the CBI for sharing its draft coal block allocation probe report with him and two senior bureaucrats.
The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), meanwhile, has sought a detailed report from the CBI over the Centre's interference in its investigation into the coal blocks allocation scam.
CBI, which is probing irregularities in allocation of coalmine blocks on the direction of CVC, has so far registered 11 FIRs in the matter.
The apex court had on May 6 rapped the CBI, Prime Minister's Office and Coal Ministry officials for changing the "heart" of the coal scam probe report.
The CBI Director has admitted before the Supreme Court that its status report on the coal blocks probe was shared with the Law Minister and two joint secretaries, in the PMO and Coal Ministry, respectively.(ANI)
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