Verma was doing 'good job', urge PM to reconsider action

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy on Thursday said CBI Director Alok Verma is an "upright officer" who was doing a "good job" to check corruption and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reconsider action taken against him.

Swamy said he has full faith in the prime minister but claimed that those "around him" are trying to "harm the interests" of Modi as well as the BJP.

Verma and CBI's Special Director Rakesh Asthana, who were at loggerheads, were divested of all powers and sent on leave by the government on Tuesday night.

Swamy, who was here to attend an event, told reporters that Verma was doing a "good job" in the fight against corruption.

"I urge the prime minister to reconsider removal of CBI director Alok Verma," the BJP MP said.

"Alok Verma is an upright officer, while Asthana is a corrupt officer," Swamy alleged.

Asked if he has any proof of the allegations that he was levelling against Asthana, Swamy said he never speaks anything without proper proof.

"Nirav Modi ran away, Mehul Choksi ran away and in the case of (Vijay) Mallya, the lookout notice was lowered for him to go. These things are affecting the BJP's fight against corruption when it had promised that it will bring back black money stashed abroad," he said.

Swamy also said he would withdraw himself from the corruption cases he had filed against senior Congress leaders if the Enforcement Directorate (ED) official Rajeshwar Singh was removed from the ongoing probe against former finance minister P Chidambaram.

Swamy, who has filed various cases against senior Congress leaders, claimed there were many "well-wishers" of Chidambaram in the BJP who were trying to save him.

He, however, did not name anyone.

"In today's situation, ED officer Rajeshwar, if he is removed, then I will come to the conclusion that a conspiracy is going on to save Chidambaram. There are many well-wishers of Chidambaram in our party who are trying to save him.

"I will withdraw myself from all the cases filed against Chidambaram in the Supreme court, cases filed against Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in Patiala House (court) in the National Herald (case) and the case against Shashi Tharoor in the (alleged) murder of his wife," he said.

"When I am fighting all these cases in the interest of the party and the nation, somebody from within is trying to backstab me. What else can I do," the BJP leader said.