The DMK’s pullout from the UPA has taken its toll on the health of CBI Director, Ranjit Sinha, who was admitted to AIIMS after he complained of stress induced fatigue. Doctors monitoring the CBI director have attributed his poor health to extreme work pressure brought on by long working hours, an erratic work schedule, and the pitfalls of dealing with highly unpredictable people.
The CBI has been busier than usual ever since Didi withdrew support, which meant the UPA has to rely on support from the SP and BSP. “It’s been like working in an I-bank, man,” complained a CBI officer, who reports to the chief. “Dealing with Mulayamji is akin to working with highly volatile stocks, which add to our stress levels,” he noted.
The last one week has been busier than usual what with the Yadav strongman threatening to walkout after Beni Prasad Verma made some injudicious remarks about the SP’s tolerance for terrorism. Negotiations were more protracted than usual with Mulayam delaying his fabled last mine U-turn, adding to anxiety levels of an already overstretched investigation agency. And when the DMK withdrew support, the CBI director was told to stock up on coffee as his team would have to work 28 hours a day for the next few days to ‘manage the DMK portfolio’. That was the last straw.
The CBI chief is recovering and expected to be back in the saddle after a few days of rest, informed sources in AIIMS. UPA leaders have wished him a speedy recovery. “We are holding up at the minute, thanks to a lifeline from Nitishji who has promised to bail us out in return for ‘very very special’ status for Bihar. But the moment, [the CBI Director] resumes duties, we’ll tell him to get lost and deal with the usual suspects,” Home Minister Shinde told The Unreal Times.