PM: CBI should act against corrupt without hesitation

New Delhi: There is today no dearth of political will to act against corruption and officers should take action against the corrupt, however powerful, without any hesitation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday. Addressing a gathering at the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the prime minister said the agency has developed as a brand of "truth and justice" over the last 60 years. Terming corruption the biggest roadblock to democracy and justice, he said the agency's key responsibility is to free India from it.

Stressing that the CBI should not be distracted by those trying to tarnish its image, Modi said a developed India is not possible without professional and efficient institutions and this puts a huge responsibility on the agency. The CBI's chief responsibility, he said, is to rid the country of corruption. "Corruption is not an ordinary crime, it snatches the rights of the poor, it be getting many other crimes, corruption is the biggest obstacle in the path of justice and democracy," he said.

He asked the CBI to devise ways to fast-track its investigations against the corrupt because a languishing probe gives a sense of safety to the corrupt while innocent people keep suffering.

Those who benefitted from corruption for decades have created an ecosystem that attacks probe agencies. But the agencies should not be deterred by stories about the power of the corrupt and their ecosystem to tarnish them, Modi said. "These people will keep distracting you, but you have to focus on your work. No corrupt person should be spared. There should be no laxity in our efforts. This is the wish of the country; this is the wish of the people of the country. The country, law and constitution are with you," the prime minister said.