Chidambaram violating bail condition by claiming to have a clear record as a Minister: BJP

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters that Mr. Chidambaram’s claim amounted to “self-certification”. While ordering his release on Wednesday, the Supreme Court asked the Congress leader not to make any public comment on the case

Prakash Javadekar

The BJP on Thursday accused Congress leader P. Chidambaram of violating his bail conditions by claiming to have a clear record as a Minister. It said the case against him was essentially about corruption he had allegedly committed while being Union Finance Minister.

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters that Mr. Chidambaram’s claim amounted to “self-certification”. While ordering his release on Wednesday, the Supreme Court asked the Congress leader not to make any public comment on the case.

“P. Chidambaram has violated the bail condition on the very first day after his release... What he said is in violation of this condition,” Mr. Javadekar said.

At a press conference at the Congress headquarters, Mr. Chidambaram said: “In the last 106 days, I was strong in spirit and I have become stronger because...my record as Minister and my conscience are absolutely clear.”

Taking a jibe at Mr. Chidambaram over his attack on the Modi government, Mr. Javadekar said Mr. Chidambaram got to speak to the media after many days, hence he was taking out his anger on the Modi government. Some Congress leaders were in jail, some just got out of jail and some others were on bail, he said, adding that the Opposition party had become desperate. It was not that they were in jail for their role in the “freedom movement”, but on criminal charges, he said.

‘Kashmir on path to progress’

Responding to Mr. Chidambaram’s charge that the government had denied the people of Kashmir basic freedom since Article 370 was diluted in August, he said all media outlets had been functioning in the Valley and “Kashmir is now on the path to progress”.

Mr. Javadekar said the Indira Gandhi government had clamped down on the media during the Emergency, but the Modi government had shared all information on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir with Parliament. The government had allowed journalists from India and abroad to travel to Kashmir where, he said, the number of stone-throwing incidents had halved.

As for Mr. Chidambaram’s take on economic slowdown, he said low inflation and high growth had been the highlights of the Modi government since 2014, while the opposite was true for the Congress-led UPA government.