Sonia, Manmohan visit PC in Tihar jail

NEW DELHI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh drove to Tihar jail in the national capital and met party colleague P Chidambaram on Monday, a visit which indicated that the party stood firmly behind the former finance minister.

Chidambaram, 74, was arrested on August 21 by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for alleged corruption in the grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX Media.

“The visit by Gandhi and Singh to Tihar jail was to send a strong message that the party stands firmly behind Chidambaram,” said a Congress functionary who did not want to be named. The Congress describes the arrest of Chidambaram as “political vendetta” by the BJP.

In a statement, Singh expressed concerns over Chidambaram’s detention and insisted that the former finance minister approved a “unanimous” recommendation by a dozen officials, including six secretaries to the government, after examining files in the INX Media matter. “If the officers are not at fault, it is beyond our comprehension how the minister who simply approved the recommendation can be accused of committing an offence...,” Singh said. “We are confident, and we sincerely hope, that the courts will render justice in this case,” he said.

After the meeting, Chidambaram, whose family tweets on his behalf, posted, “I am honoured that Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Dr. Manmohan Singh called on me today. As long as the Congress party is strong and brave, I will also be strong and brave.”

Jail officials said Gandhi and Singh reached Tihar around 9 am and spoke to Chidambaram for about half an hour.

Chidambaram has been allotted a single high-security cell inside Tihar.

In the Delhi high court, Chidambaram’s counsel, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, said on Monday that there was no allegation against the former finance minister about trying to influence anyone related to the matter and there was no loss to public exchequer. In a rejoinder, Chidambaram said the CBI’S allegation that he misused the high public office of the finance minister was completely “untenable” and “wholly misconceived”.