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‘Dozen officers recommended INX funding. Why blame Chidambaram?’ asks Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh pointed out that a dozen officers, including six secretaries to the government, examined and recommended the INX media funding proposal and Chidambaram approved the unanimous recommendation.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday questioned the logic behind the continued detention of his Congress party colleague P Chidambaram in jail in a corruption case involving foreign funds for INX television.
Singh and the Congress party’s interim president Sonia Gandhi visited Chidambaram in Tihar jail on Monday where he has been lodged since September 5. He was arrested by the CBI on August 21.
In a statement, Singh said the Congress was “concerned with continued detention in custody of our colleague, Shri P. Chidambaram.”
“We are confident, and we sincerely hope, that the courts will render justice in this case.”
The former PM pointed out that to hold Chidambaram guilty for a decision that had passed through several levels, would lead to the collapse of the system of government.
“In our system of government, no decision can be taken by any single person... all decisions are collective,” Singh said in the statement.
He pointed out that dozen officers, including six secretaries to the government, examined and recommended the proposal and Chidambaram approved the unanimous recommendation.
“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. If the Minister is liable for approving a recommendation, the whole system of government will collapse,” he said.
Chidambaram had approved on a huge infusion of foreign funds into the firm as the finance minister in 2007. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also investigating Chidambaram in the same case.
The CBI has alleged that Chidambaram’s son Karti Chidambaram had received kickbacks for facilitating the process for INX Media which was co-founded by Peter and Indrani Mukerjea.
The Mukerjeas are currently in jail in the murder case of Indrani’s daughter Sheena Bora. Indrani Mukerjea turned approver earlier this year in the INX Media case and said that Chidambaram had demanded pay offs to facilitate funding of her company.
