Rahul Gandhi dissents on CBI chief selection: 'Leader of Opposition is not a rubber stamp'

Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing his dissent over the CBI Director selection process.

Updated on: May 12, 2026, 23:02:19 IST

By HT News Desk

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Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing his dissent over the CBI Director selection process, alleging that the exercise was “biased”.

Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi addresses a gathering during the Sadbhav Yatra, in Gurugram on Friday. (AICC)

Gandhi said he could not “abdicate” his constitutional responsibility by participating in the process and asserted that the Leader of Opposition was “not a rubber stamp.”

“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,” Rahul Gandhi shared on X.

“The Leader of Opposition is not a rubber stamp,” he added to the post.

Earlier, Gandhi had also submitted a formal dissent note during a selection committee meeting headed by PM Modi, rejecting the government’s candidate, Raj Kumar Goyal, for the post of Chief Information Commissioner.

Also Read | High-level meet on May 12 to pick next CBI chief

What is happening?

Gandhi was seen leaving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg after attending a meeting on the appointment of the next Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The high-powered selection panel comprised Prime Minister Modi, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Rahul Gandhi in his role as Leader of Opposition.

Earlier, HT had reported that the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) was preparing a shortlist of senior IPS officers from the 1989 to 1992 batches for consideration by the committee.

Among the officers believed to be in the race are Parag Jain, the current chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW); Ajay Kumar Sharma; Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor; Sadanand Date, Maharashtra DGP; G P Singh, Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force; Piyush Anand, Director General of the National Disaster Response Force; and Satish Golchha, the current Delhi Police Commissioner, among others.

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