Manmohan Singh, Sonia visit Chidambaram in Tihar jail

Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, September 23

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday visited Tihar jail to meet P Chidambaram lodged there for alleged corruption.

Chidambaram’s son and Sivaganga MP Karti Chidambaram also accompanied Sonia and Manmohan today.

He is accused of corruption in Rs 305 crore clearance given to INX media when he was the Union finance minister.

The firm once promoted by Peter and Indrani Mukerjea, both in jail for murdering latter’s daughter Sheena Bora, had allegedly made payments to a firm linked to finance minister’s son Karti Chidambaram, the CBI had said in the FIR.

P Chidambaram has strongly denied the allegations, saying the payments were for consultancy and his son was in no way associated with that company.

Last week, Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ahmed Patel had also met Chidambaram.

‘Concerned’

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a statement released in the evening of the his meeting that said he hoped that the courts would “render justice”.

“We are concerned with continued detention in custody of our colleague, Shri P. Chidambaram,” the statement said.  “In our system of government, no decision can be taken by any single person. All decisions are collective decisions recorded in files. A dozen officers, including six Secretaries to the government, examined and recommended the proposal. Minister 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,” the statement said further. “We are confident, and we sincerely hope, that the courts will render justice in this case.”