Whether Himachal CM and Congress leader Virbhadra Singh is guilty of corruption will be decided by the judicial system. But the arrival of a CBI team at the CM’s Shimla residence on the day of his daughter’s wedding does give the impression of being intended to humiliate a leading Opposition figure. Politicians of all stripes have been found to be steeped in corruption, but that’s not to say all politicians are corrupt.
The first inquiries against Mr Singh were started during UPA rule in 2013. On September 23, the Delhi high court asked the CBI to file a status report in four weeks. It is surprising that the CBI had not done so earlier and chose the day of the CM’s daughter’s wedding to strike.
The CBI has long been seen as a tool in the hands of the ruling party at the Centre to harass opponents. CBI raids do tarnish reputations and the threat of a raid is often used to break opponents and indirectly help the ruling party. Recently, West Bengal CM and Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and BSP chieftain Mayawati have felt the heat.
The BJP at the Centre would have carried more credibility if it was quick to launch investigations against its CMs in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and the external affairs minister, against whom serious allegations were levelled, including in Parliament. In Himachal, meanwhile,
Mr Singh must of course cooperate fully with investigators.
