‘Drama and spectacle to divert from real issues’: Karti Chidambaram hits out

Lok Sabha MP Karti Chidambaram defended his father moments after he was taken away by the CBI and accused the agencies of a witch-hunt.

Former finance minister P Chidambaram was brought to CBI headquarters from his Jor Bagh house in capital late Wednesday evening following half-an-hour long drama involving the CBI and ED officials who had to climb the wall of the senior Congress leader’s residence to reach him in the presence of national media.

P Chidambaram inside a car on his way to CBI office with CBI officials on Wednesday night (ANI)

Supporters of the Rajya Sabha MP who had assembled in no time outside his house even tried to physically stop the CBI car when it left with Chidambaram inside.

LIVE| Chidambaram taken to CBI HQ amid high drama, arrest likely soon

Chidambaram’s son and Sivaganga MP Karti Chidambaram soon addressed the media in Chennai. He said the whole episode was a bid to “divert the attention of the people of India from serious issues” and was carried out to satisfy voyeuristic pleasures of a few.

“The drama and spectacle being enacted by the agencies is to simply sensationalise and satisfy the voyeuristic pleasure of some,” Karti told reporters in Chennai.

Chidambaram was taken to CBI headquarters soon after he had returned home from the Congress headquarters after appealing to the investigating agencies to wait till Friday when the Supreme Court is likely to decide his plea challenging Delhi High Court’s order cancelling his protection against arrest in the INX media foreign funding approval case.

“Between now and Friday, I shall walk with a clear conscience and my head held high, I shall respect the law even if it is applied with an unequal hand by the investigating agencies, in the name of freedom, I can only hope and pray that the investigating agencies will also respect the law, in the present circumstances, respect for the law can only mean one thing, await the decision of the Supreme Court on Friday,” Chidambaram said.

Karti Chidambaram said his father will be eventually vindicated in court, “ED has summoned him a number of times and he has appeared every time. We will go to the court, we will be vindicated eventually,” he said, adding that the action by enforcement agencies was “totally politically motivated witch-hunt.”

Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate had issued look out notices against P Chidambaram after the former minister didn’t show up as requested in a notice issued last evening.

CBI had registered an FIR in the case on May 15, 2017 alleging irregularities in the FIPB clearance granted to INX media group for receiving overseas funds to the tune of Rs 305 crore in 2007 during P Chidambaram’s tenure as finance minister.

Thereafter, ED also lodged the money laundering case against the company’s founders, the Mukerjeas, and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Karti Chidambaram was arrested on February 28, 2018 by the CBI on his return from the United Kingdom.

Chidambaram faced a major setback on Tuesday when the Delhi High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea in corruption and money laundering case related to alleged INX Media scam.

Following this, the Congress leader filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court against the High Court order seeking pre-arrest bail.

The CBI and the ED had also filed a caveat petition in the Supreme Court over Chidambaram’s plea seeking protection from arrest.