Chidambaram's wife trashes Saradha links

On the back foot over the ponzi scheme scam in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress on Thursday demanded finance minister P Chidambaram’s clarifications on the references made by the main scam accused Sudipto Sen in his “letter” to CBI, Saubhadra Chatterji reports.

On the back foot over the ponzi scheme scam in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress on Thursday demanded finance minister P Chidambaram’s clarifications on the references made by the main scam accused Sudipto Sen in his “letter” to CBI.

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Chidambaram’s wife Nalini Chidambaram, a senior lawyer, had given legal advice on a business deal between Sen’s Saradha group and a North-East based media house. She received a payment of Rs.1 crore through cheque as consultancy fee.

The principal opposition party, BJP, also tried to turn the heat on the finance minister while demanding a thorough probe in the entire scam. “We will also Prasad said on Thursday.

Sources close to Nalini Chidambaram, however, brushed aside the references and said her legal consultancy fees were given by cheques and due taxes were paid.

“She was never the legal advisor for Saradha. She has been a lawyer for more than four decades during which she has advised and argued for thousands of companies. How can she explain any misdeed by any of these companies?” a source close to Nalini Chidambaram told HT.

“If lawyers are sought to be linked to the behaviour of their clients, then no one can practice law,” the source added.

Probe sought into Assam minister’s role
Guwahati: A farmers’ organisation on Thursday demanded CBI probe into Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s alleged link with the Ponzi scheme. The group’s CMD Sudipta Sen had claimed the minister’s link. HTC