Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor today said the Supreme Court verdict directing a CBI probe into the Saradha ponzi scam was "historic".
"It is welcome and historic that a CBI probe has been allowed by the Supreme Court in response to several PILs and a move which Congress party had been supporting from the beginning," Mr Tharoor said at a news conference in Kolkata.
Mr Tharoor said the Congress was not trying to make any political vendetta out of this.
"We are more concerned about the plight of 18 lakh innocent people who were deprived by these unscrupulous companies. What is required is a transparent probe," Mr Tharoor said adding that the West Bengal government, it seemed, was trying to cover up the matter by not asking for such a probe.
Now it would be the duty of the CBI to identify the guilty and punish them which would also act as a deterrent for any such future misdeeds.
Taking potshots at the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Mr Tharoor said it was surprising to see he was attacking the Election Commission and also threatened to file an FIR.
"But I want to state that the mounting desperation for the top job would certainly get eased once results are out on May 16," he said.
"The party has raised expectations beyond their ability to meet," he said.