Published May 13, 2026 | 1:21 PM ⚊ Updated May 13, 2026 | 1:21 PM
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.
Synopsis: In a note addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said he cannot abdicate his constitutional duty by participating in the biased exercise. The Congress leader was referring to the high-powered committee meeting at Prime Minister Modi’s residence in New Delhi on Tuesday, 12 May.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, expressed strong dissent in the selection of the next CBI director, terming it a “biased exercise”.
In a note addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said he cannot abdicate his constitutional duty by participating in the biased exercise. The Congress leader was referring to the high-powered committee meeting at Prime Minister Modi’s residence in New Delhi on Tuesday, 12 May.
Besides the Prime Minister, the committee includes Gandhi, Chief Justice Surya Kant, and others. The committee held the meeting to select the next director to replace the incumbent CBI chief, Praveen Sood, set to retire from service on 24 May.
The Prime Minister is the chairperson of the committee.
Gandhi’s two-page dissent note — submitted to the Prime Minister during the meeting — said the government had reduced the selection process to mere formality, and the Leader of the Opposition could not be a rubber stamp.
“By denying the Selection Committee crucial information, the government has reduced it to a mere formality. The Leader of Opposition is not a rubber stamp,” the note said.
Gandhi, representing Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, in the Lok Sabha, later posted the dissent note on the social media platform, X.
The senior leader said he decided to “dissent in the strongest terms” since he could not abdicate his constitutional duty by participating in the “biased exercise”.
He also accused the NDA government at the Centre of abusing the country’s premier investigating body to target opponents, journalists and critics.
“Your government has repeatedly misused the CBI, intended to be India’s premier investigating agency, to target political opponents, journalists and critics,” Gandhi said.
“It is to prevent such institutional capture that the Leader of Opposition is included in the Selection Committee. Regrettably, you have continued to deny me any meaningful role in the process,” he further stated.
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The note also said that Gandhi was not provided with self-appraisal reports or 360-degree reports for the eligible candidates, which are crucial for assessing each candidate’s history and performance. Instead, he was “expected to examine the appraisal reports of sixty-nine candidates for the first time during the Committee meeting,” he added.
“This deliberate denial of information, without any legal basis, makes a mockery of the selection process and ensures that only your pre-decided candidate is selected,” Gandhi said.
The Opposition Leader had also expressed disagreement last year. His note also mentioned a letter he had written to the Prime Minister in October, suggesting steps for a transparent and equitable selection process. Gandhi said he did not receive a response to the letter.
I have written to the Prime Minister recording my dissent from the CBI Director selection process.
I cannot abdicate my constitutional duty by participating in a biased exercise.
The Leader of Opposition is not a rubber stamp. pic.twitter.com/WfSt5gGPPR
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 12, 2026
