New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS): The Congress on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of protecting Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) K.V. Chowdary following the Centres refusal to act against him for allegedly closing a probe into a Rs 7,000-crore scam.

With the Centre citing "absence of guidelines" for its inability to act on the complaint by Indian Forest Service officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi alleged the Modi government is intentionally saving Chowdhury whose report was instrumental in the removal of CBI Director Alok Verma.

"The government is citing flimsy grounds for not acting against the CVC who is not just a collaborator of the government in violating the Constitution but a colossal veil to cover corruption. Hand in glove with his political masters, his transgression and undue interference in Verma's removal is well known," Singhvi told the media.

The government in a reply to RTI query by Chaturvedi recently cited absence of guidelines to handle complaints of corruption and other misconduct against the CVC.

Pointing to Chaturvedi having filed the complaint in 2017 to the President and sending repeated reminders, the Congress leader questioned why the Modi government "slept over" the complaint for nearly 2 years and did not frame the guidelines required to proceed against Chowdary.

Calling the government's refusal to be "untenable", Singhvi said under the CVC Act, action can be taken against Chowdary.

"Besides Section 6 of the CVC Act, which clearly empowers the Centre to take action, the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules also provide for suspension and penalties on officers for their actions which involve removal, termination and forced retirement," he said.

"The CVC is not a separate cadre, so the CCS (CCA) rules apply to the post of the CVC as well. So, nothing bars the Modi government from ordering an investigation into the allegations by Chaturvedi to remove the CVC, if he is found guilty," he added.