New Delhi, Oct 23 (UNI) Targetting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the ‘unprecedented developments’ in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechuri on Tuesday asked who handpicked Rakesh Asthana for the CBI despite strong opposition by its Director and said the developments are 'seriously damaging' for the country.
Mr Asthana was charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act on October 15 over the allegation that businessman Satish Sana had paid a bribe of around Rs 5 crore through a middleman to the Special Director to get him off the hook.
The CBI had on Monday, arrested CBI officer Devender Kumar, who worked with Asthana and accused him of making false statements against the chief.
In a recent development, the Delhi high court on Monday granted interim relief to Mr Asthana, from arrest for the next six days.
In a series of tweets, Mr, Yechury said that the role of top BJP leadership in damaging and destroying the country's institutions is unparalleled in India's history.
“That the CBI is particularly under the spotlight should not surprise us. After all, it was the agency investigating the BJP party president for a very serious charge. No prizes for guessing how and why his name was "cleared" under a dark cloud”, the CPI(M) general secretary tweeted.
He alleged that a number of compromised officials with dubious records have been inducted into top agencies in the past four years.

“That is not just due to poor ‘governance’. But it is due to malafide intention to target political opposition and save their own under investigation”, he said.
Taking on the current dispensation, Mr Yechury further asked, “who patronised this official in his career? Who handpicked him for CBI despite strong opposition by the Director? If this official is now caught ‘fabricating’ documents and taking bribes, should his political patrons in BJP not be asked tough questions too? What is their role?”
Earlier in the day, the CPI(M) Polit Bureau also criticised that the recent happenings in the premier investigating agency of the country, shows the degree of damage to Constitutional authorities and institutions of parliamentary democracy in India.
Congress also raised questions over the role of Mr Modi over the probe against senior officials of the CBI and RAW.
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