BJP ups the ante amid support for Chidambaram from Pak – 2 min read

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is refusing to lower the ante on P. Chidambaram, particularly after Pakistan Senator Rehman Malik expressed support for the former Finance Minister.

BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi said on Friday that Chidambaram’s role in the INX Media case is of suspect. She also added that the conspiracy was conceived and executed in Delhi and now it’s time for the law to catch up with the culprits.

“Why are they fearing the courts? Why suspect agencies,” Lekhi asked.

Meanwhile, support has come from unlikely quarters for the former Finance Minister. Pakistan’s former Interior Minister Rehman Malik spoke against Chidambaram’s arrest, providing the BJP with another chance to hit out at both Chidambaram and the Congress party.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subhramanian Swamy took to Twitter to say: “Why does Pakistan like PC? Because as FM in 2005 he overruled the IB, RAW and CBI who opposed giving printing of currency paper contract to a Pvt Co Delaru in UK since the company also prints Pakistan currency paper making counterfeiting easy. No wonder ISI loves him.”

Chidambaram is accused of granting Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance for foreign direct investment (FDI) to INX Media when he was the Finance Minister during the UPA regime, in exchange of alleged bribes paid to his son Karti Chidambaram.

Chidambaram was arrested by the CBI on Wednesday night. He has been sent to four-day CBI custody for questioning.

 Published on: Aug 23, 2019 at 17:23 IST

IANS