Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has held Prime Minister Narendra Modi responsible for the row in the CBI. On Wednesday, Rakesh Asthana, the Special Director, was sent on leave by the Prime Minister. CBI Director Alok Verma is the other one who was asked to go on leave, sparking a flurry of fulminations from the opposition, especially the Congress.

"(Second-in-command) Rakesh Asthana was the Prime Minister’s intelligence chief for some time. The PM has to answer now because it's he who had brought him. He is responsible for Rakesh Asthana, and for all the fiasco. It is very unfair for this government," the AP CM stated today.

"How can the PM create forward centers within the CBI? The institutions are being targeted for personal gains and political interests," Naidu alleged, adding that any decision over the CBI Director has to be taken by the PM, Leader of Opposition and the Chief Justice of India or his nominee.