Congress cries political vendetta after P Chidambaram's custody extension

Soon after a Delhi court extended the custody of former union finance minister P Chidambaram for 14 days, the Congress party came heavy on current BJP dispensation accusing it of deliberately carrying out a sustained campaign to vilify and character assassinate him in the INX Media case.

Addressing the media, Congress leader and former environment minister Jairam Ramesh said, the investigating agencies despite having all the files and information have chosen to suppress that the INX Media case was part of a set of about 24 proposals, which were put up to the then Finance Minister for approval and in that file there were 11 signatures.

These included 6 members of the FIPB (the Foreign Investment Promotion Board) and after the FIPB examined proposal, it went to the Finance Ministry for further approval by the under Secretary, the Deputy Secretary, Director, the Joint Secretary, the Additional Secretary and then the Finance Secretary, said Ramesh.

"The Finance Secretary looks at the proposal twice, once as chairman of the FIPB and once as the Finance Secretary. So this INX Media proposal has 11 signatures of officers, 11 not 1 and the 12th signature dated may 28, 2007 is that of the then Finance Minister P Chidambaram," he said. He asked why there has been no case made out against these officers and why they have not been found of doing something illegal and have been exonerated.