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Who can do it better? CBI or Delhi police?

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The match-fixing scandal has unwittingly brought to light the inherent duplicity of Indian political parties across the spectrum, including that of the ruling coalition and the Opposition.

Despite casting aspersions on the Central Bureau of Investigation for its probe into the fodder scam involving Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Laloo Prasad Yadav, the RJD and its allies, the Communist Party of India-Marxist and the Congress, are now clamouring for an inquiry by the same agency into the scandal which has rocked the world.

In the Lok Sabha, RJD MP Raghuvansh Prasad Singh on Thursday vociferously pleaded that the investigation be handed over to the CBI. The CPI-M and Congress supported him.

Interestingly, it was the same Raghuvansh Prasad Singh who has been alleging for the last one year that the National Democratic Alliance government headed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is using the CBI to involve Yadav in the fodder scam and, therefore, the CBI should be taken off the investigation.

Singh was ill at ease to explain why he wanted the CBI off the fodder scam probe but given charge of the match-fixing scandal.

"The two issues are different. The Vajpayee government wants to use the CBI to unethically fix Lalooji in the fodder issue. It is blatant political vendetta. Whereas the whole world wants to know the truth behind the match-fixing and betting controversy and we feel that the CBI is the best agency to probe it," he said, not convincingly.

The CPI-M and the Congress supported Yadav's party on the issue. But for the political convenience, both these parties would rather the controversy is probed by "an impartial agency."

During Thursday's briefing, Congress spokespersons Anil Shastri and Margaret Alva said party members like Madhavrao Scindia and Kamal Nath had already raised the issue in the Lok Sabha and the truth would out only if an impartial central agency looked into it.

The spokespersons denied that there was any confusion in the party about which agency should probe the controversy.

However, that there is a pronounced difference of opinion in the Bharatiya Janata Party over the controversy was apparent when Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister S S Dhindsa announced recently that the government was contemplating legalising betting. However, Vajpayee himself contradicted Dhindsa the next day.

Dhindsa then expressed himself against handing over the investigation to the CBI. But some BJP members and coalition constituents feel that it would be the best way to unearth the truth.

"While the government is the best judge which particular agency is best equipped to delve into the cricket controversy, I think the CBI can probe into the various aspects and establish the truth," said Mahendra Baitha, senior Samata Party leader and MP from Bagha parliamentary constituency in Bihar.

Former Delhi chief minister and senior BJP leader Madan Lal Khurana too wants the CBI in the picture. "The Delhi police has done a marvellous job. But now the CBI should come into the picture because it is best equipped to deal with all the complexities," Khurana said.

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