Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has reportedly decided to allow the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to operate in the state, revoking the withdrawal of general consent by the previous Chandrababu Naidu government.
Vijay Sai Reddy, the national general secretary of the Yuvajana Sramika Raithu (YSR) Congress party, took to his official Twitter handle on Monday, June 3, confirming this move. "Chandrababu banned CBI, he prevented I-T raids, he questioned how ED comes in the state. Now Jagan has issued orders allowing the CBI into the state. CM made it clear that thieves will not be spared. Look out Chandrababu," he said.
General consent is a periodic approval by a State government to the CBI and other agencies covered by the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946. The last such consent in AP was given on August 3, 2018.
Its withdrawal, which made it mandatory for CBI to take permission from the state before conducting any probe, was re-instated on November 8, 2018. The state government said at that time they had lost faith in the CBI due to the internal turmoil among the top officers of the agency.
Former Deputy Chief Minister of the state, N. Chinarajappa, had reportedly said that the withdrawal of general consent was in accordance with suggestions made by legal experts and intellectuals in the light of serious allegations against the CBI.
But the move was seen as a political decision due to crumbling relations between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre and the state government. The former CM had also spoken against the central government misusing the CBI, I-T and Enforcement Directorate to target the BJP's political rivals, citing the instances of IT raids on his party leaders.
Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal also withdrew the general consent soon after AP. Chhattisgarh followed suit earlier this year.
