The West Bengal government's change of mind on a CBI probe into the Jnaneswari Express carnage was reportedly prompted by the realisation that such an inquiry would cover all aspects of the case rather than the Maoist angle as initially presumed. According to sources,Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee,who is averse to CBI inquiry,agreed to it initially because he was given to understand that a CBI inquiry would be a limited one,focusing on only the suspected Maoist connection in the incident. However,the letter that came from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday seeking clearance for the same said the inquiry would encompass everything related to the case. The CM's aversion to any CBI inquiry is well-known. In fact our party's known stand is that since law and order is a state subject,the CBI should not step into the state's turf. But when the CM was told that the CBI inquiry would focus on only the Maoist link,he agreed. When he saw the CBI would inquire into the whole incident,he backtracked,because the CID is already investigating the case, a state Secretariat member told The Indian Express. Union Home Secretary G K Pillai had first called up West Bengal Chief Secretary Ardhendu Sen on Saturday,a day after the tragedy,and asked for the state government's opinion on a Railway Ministry request for a CBI inquiry. Sen reportedly told him that the state government had no problem with it,and Pillai told him to get in touch with Bhattacharjee and elicit his opinion. The Indian Express accessed the letter sent by Pillai to the state government on Monday,which refers to the "telephonic conversation" between him and Sen and seeks its concurrence for a CBI probe. According to the Secretariat member,Bhattacharjee was given to understand by Sen that the MHA wanted a CBI probe only to look into the Maoist connection and nothing beyond that. But the letter noted that the inquiry would be more broadbased. In addition,at a CPM meeting on Monday,party leaders told Bhattacharjee it would not be prudent to agree to a demand that was first made by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee.
