NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated on Saturday that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are doing their jobs, and nobody should stop them.
Responding to a question during an interview with the Malayalam news channel Asianet aired on Saturday, the Prime Minister responded to the Opposition’s charges that the Centre is ‘misusing’ the probe agencies and taking actions against the opposition leaders.
During his election rallies in Kerala recently, PM Modi criticised Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPI-M for "robbing the poor", saying that "action would be taken against the corrupt".
“Would you stop a ticket-checker from checking tickets in trains? It is the job of the ED and CBI to probe corruption charges. Let them do their job, ” PM Modi told Asianet, adding that despite being the Prime Minister, he cannot interfere in the agencies’ works.
Addressing one of his rallies in Kerala recently, the Prime Minister said: “All the corrupt will be taken to task. Due to the way the Kerala government is run, the Treasury is empty and there is no money to even pay salaries.”
During the interview aired on Saturday, the Prime Minister clarified that questions should be raised if the central agencies don’t do their jobs, but the Opposition is instead asking why they are performing their duties.
Sharing details, the Prime Minister said the ED lodged 1, 800 cases before 2014, which have gone up to over 5, 000 now, showing the ED’s efficiency.
To recall, during an interview aired last week, the Prime Minister had praised the ED for its role in dealing with black money and corruption in the past decade, as he trashed the charges of BJP using the central agencies to silence the voices of the opposition leaders.