The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday carried out searches at several places linked to former Union minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti over alleged favours granted in foreign investment clearance to a firm, INX Media, in 2007.
CBI conducted searches at locations in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurugram and at 14 places in Chennai including Chidambaram's residence at Nungambakkam.
The agency has on Monday registered a case regarding alleged irregularities in granting the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX Media, run by its directors Indrani Mukerjea and Peter Mukerjea, in 2007 when P Chidambaram was the Finance Minister.
It has levelled the charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, taking gratification by corrupt or illegal means, to influence public servant and criminal misconduct.
Meanwhile, Chidambaram accused the government of using the CBI and other agencies of targeting his son and his friends.
Chidambaram also alleged that the government's aim is to silence his voice and stop him from writing, as it has tried to do in the cases of leaders of Opposition parties, journalists, columnists, NGOs and civil society organizations.
Maintaining the same stand as his father, former finance minister P. Chidambaram's son Karti on Tuesday alleged the Centre of manufacturing raids to silence his voice.
"This raid is being carried out only because of political vendetta," Karti told the media here outside his residence before being carted by the CBI.
Accusing the 'autocratic' Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government to be blinded by revenge, the Congress asserted that such false cases would not deter the party and that it would continue to fight for the people of India.
The statement comes in the wake of the CBI raids underway at former union minister Chidambaram?s residence in Chennai, which is in connection with alleged favours granted in FIPB clearance to a firm.
Congress leader Randeep Surjewala dubbed the strategy of the government to lodge false cases against senior opposition leaders as a conspiracy to suppress the voice of the opposition.
"Revenge and registration of false cases has become the DNA of the BJP government. Congress party will not be deterred. We will not bow down. We will continue to fight for the people of this country. Congress leaders will continue to raise their voices on issues and policies where the government has failed India," Surjewala told ANI.
Meanwhile, KR Ramasamy, the Congress Legislative Party Leader in Tamil Nadu has accused BJP of behind the raids. "It is a case of political vendetta by BJP," Mr Ramasamy said.
Tom Vadakkan, a Congress party spokesman, said the raids were an attempt to malign Chidambaram's reputation and that they had found no incriminating evidence.
"This is clearly a fishing expedition launched by the Modi government against Chidambaram," Vadakkan told Reuters.
Chidambaram, a staunch critic of the Narendra Modi-led BJP regime, has said in the past that his voice against the Centre cannot be silenced by launching cases against him or his son Karti, also a Congress leader.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has already issued a show-cause notice to Karti Chidambaram and a firm purportedly linked to him for alleged violations of the FEMA laws to the tune of Rs 45 crore.
Earlier, Chidambaram had accused the Enforcement Directorate of making wild allegations against his son Karti in an alleged forex violation case.
(With agency inputs)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Chidambaram")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}