The Congress on Tuesday said that any statement letting Prime Minister Narendra Modi off the hook in the context of the misuse of central agencies has to be incorrect because nothing happens in this government without his approval.

The observation came in response to questions about Mamata Banerjee’s claim on Monday that Modi may not be personally responsible for the witch-hunt against Opposition leaders.

“I would say this: Is sarkar mein Modi ki sweekriti ke bina parinda bhi nahin fadakta hai (In this government, not even a bird flutters without Modi’s approval),” Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said.

Saying such comments shield the Prime Minister from uncomfortable questions, the Congress projected Rahul Gandhi as the only leader who fights without fear and would never compromise with the RSS-BJP.

“Many don’t know that the CBI no longer reports to the Prime Minister’s Office, but to the Union home ministry. The agency is not controlled by the PMO,” Mamata had said in the Bengal Assembly.

“Businessmen are leaving from all over the country, running away, out of fear of misuse of the ED and the CBI. I don’t believe Narendra Modi has done this. This is being done by (other) BJP leaders.”

Many Opposition leaders have been amused by this attempt to separate Modi from the actions of Union home minister Amit Shah at a time the country, they believe, is run by a Modi-Shah duopoly.

The Congress has gone a step farther, using the opportunity to accuse other Opposition parties of playing “hide and seek” with the BJP and contrasting this with Rahul’s relentless battle against the ruling dispensation.

Rahul has been interrogated intensely by the Enforcement Directorate in a money-laundering case involving the National Herald newspaper, but there has been no change in the tenor of his attacks on the Prime Minister.

“I don’t know why she (Mamata) wants to blame Shah and spare Modi. I don’t know on what basis she has decided that Modi is good. I don’t want to comment on that,” Shrinate said.

She added: “When you give a clean chit to the Prime Minister, you are somehow shielding him from the questions the entire country is asking about the misuse of agencies.”

Widening the scope of the development, Shrinate said: “If you are in the Opposition, this hide and seek game is not allowed to be played. In this context, the attitude of the Congress and our leader is absolutely clear. We will corner the government on people’s concerns no matter how you seek to target us by unleashing the CBI-ED or other agencies. Their agencies, their troll army, their false propaganda can’t deter us.”

She added: “It is our duty to question the Prime Minister, to fix accountability. It is our religion as the Opposition in democracy. The Congress and its leadership are fearless: we don’t compromise.

“Unlike the rest of the Opposition, we don’t play hide and seek. (We don’t) say something and take a step back. Help the BJP in the election and retrace your steps --- we don’t play such games. If you play such games, there are bound to be questions about your intention.”