New Delhi: The high profile former union minister P Chidambaram seems to be in big trouble. Chidambaram, known as just PC in the political circles, is in the midst of a political storm. As union home minister, he is accused of changing Ishrat Jahan affidavit to ‘fix’ Narendra Modi and others. At the same time, he and his son Karti Chidambaram are facing the ire of AIADMK over Aircel-Maxis deal.
GK Pillai, who was the union home secretary when Chidambaram was the home minister, has taken on his ex-boss raising serious doubts over the entire Ishrat Jahan ‘fake encounter’ incident of 2004, in which several police officers went to jail.
An employee of the Ministry of Home Affairs RVS Mani has also made serious allegations that he was tortured by an IPS officer to change the affidavit in the Ishrat case. It has given a new ammo to the ruling BJP at the Centre to take on the Congress and the Left.
At the same time, the AIADMK MPs are up in the arms against Chidambaram and his son in Parliament. They are demanding a thorough probe in the alleged role of the father and son duo in the Aircel–Maxis deal.
According to “The Indian Express” with AIADMK MPs displaying copies of The Pioneer newspaper which claimed in a report that raids by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax had revealed Karti’s investments in real estate deals as part of a “huge business empire” across the world, Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day at around 2.45 pm and Rajya Sabha around 4 pm on Tuesday.
Later, Karti said in a statement, “One newspaper has made allegations against me, which have been adequately refuted in the past. Myself and my business are fully compliant with all laws and regulations.”
He also added, “All filings are up to date. All statutory regulatory filings are completely up to date. That is all I have got to say, If I am compliant, I can’t be money laundering.”
The BJD, meanwhile, submitted two notices for discussions in Lok Sabha on the alleged Aircel-Maxis scam. The CBI is investigating whether the then finance minister P Chidambaram was the competent authority to give approval to Maxis subsidiary Global Communication Services Holdings Ltd to invest $800 million in Aircel Ltd in 2006; other similar cases were sent to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) for approval.
With Tamil Nadu Assembly elections less than two months away, the issue is likely to affect the Congress which is a marginal player in the state. The Congress has once again returned to the DMK led alliance recently.
The Ishrat Jahan case is likely to affect the Congress in the days to come. Chidambaram’s statement on the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru has also embarrassed the Congress forcing it to distance itself from his statements.
Some political analysts feel that the ruling BJP is cleverly using Chidambaram related issues to divert the attention from Rohith Vemula’s suicide, JNU sedition row and economic woes at home. Whatever may be the truth, one time crisis manager and a sharp brain of the Congress, Chidambaram has given the BJP new weapons to fight the Congress and the Left.
In Tamil Nadu, the ruling AIADMK will definitely use Chidambaram and Karti issue to attack the DMK–Congress alliance. Chidambaram, who is not even a member of the Parliament, is finding it difficult to defend himself and his statements.
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