Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge defends Karnataka govt's decision to withdraw general consent given to CBI

NEW DELHI: Congress president M Mallikarjun Kharge has defended the Karnataka government's decision to withdraw general consent for the CBI to investigate cases in the state, stating that the move was well within the state's powers.
Kharge pointed out that this was not an unprecedented action, noting that even during the tenure of former chief minister Devraj Urs, the general consent was withdrawn due to alleged misuse of the CBI.
"This is not new. When Devraj Urs was CM, the blanket consent given to CBI was also withdrawn when it was being misused. So this is a common practice," Kharge told reporters.
On Thursday, the Karnataka government revoked the general consent, accusing the CBI of being "biased and prejudiced" in its handling of various investigations.
Recalling his tenure as home minister of Karnataka, Kharge mentioned several high-profile cases such as the notorious sandalwood smuggler Veerappan, stamp paper scam mastermind Abdul Karim Telgi, and another case in Kolar, where he had referred the investigations to the CBI.
He claimed that despite the seriousness of these inter-state cases, the CBI refused to take them up.
"Veerappan was responsible for hundreds of killings, and Telgi's stamp paper scam cost the government crores of rupees. I had referred these cases to the CBI, but they declined to take them up. Now, questions are being raised, but it's entirely within the state's rights to withdraw or refer cases," Kharge asserted.
(With inputs from agencies)