Ex-Coal Secretary accuses CBI of 'witch hunt' against him

“What can be more absurd than the CBI questioning the bonafides of Mr Naveen Patnaik, merely because he made a recommendation in favor of Hindalco? If a Chief Minister is not to canvass for projects he thinks would generate employment and revenue for his state, what is he Chief Minister for?” he asked.

The former coal secretary feared that the coalgate may also end in a whimper like Bofors with actual culprits responsible for the delay in the introduction of a transparent system and those who benefited from the delay could go “scot free”.

Talking about the autonomy claims made by the CBI, Parakh warned that “no amount of statutory safeguards can make the CBI more autonomous as long as the persons heading it have a different agenda and are unwilling to exercise their autonomy.  “...blanket authority to the CBI to initiate criminal action without supervision and accountability would be remedy far worse than the disease”.