Senior Congress leader and former Union finance minister P Chidambaram is presently counting the bars in Tihar jail in New Delhi in connection with CBI cases into INX Media money laundering cases and a couple of other scams.
The Supreme Court has not granted bail because the CBI has strongly resisted the same stating that he might influence the witnesses in the case. Yet, the Congress leadership is desperately trying to get the 74-year old leader out on bail.
On Sunday, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah held an all-party meeting for the smooth conduct of Parliament proceedings during the winter session commencing on Monday, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad put forth a request to the home minister Amit Shah to ensure that Chidambaram gets the permission to attend the Parliament session.
Naturally, this angered YSR Congress party’s parliamentary party leader V Vijay Sai Reddy who was also present at the all-party meeting.
“This is nothing but double standards being adopted by the Congress,” he criticised.
He pointed out that the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government had not allowed YSRC president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, who was then Kadapa MP, to attend the Parliament session to represent his constituency issues.
Jagan was then in Chanchalguda jail in Hyderabad in connection with a CBI case.
“Our leader was imprisoned by the then Congress government by foisting false cases against him. Despite repeated requests, it had not given him permission to attend the Parliament session,” he pointed out.
The same Congress leadership, which is now in the opposition, is seeking permission for Chidambaram, who was also thrown behind bars in the CBI cases on the lines of Jagan in the past, to attend Parliament.
“When Jagan was not granted permission to attend Parliament, why should Chidambaram be given the permission? The Centre should not give any such exemption to Chidambaram. Why different rules for Jagan and Chidambaram?” Sai Reddy asked.
Accusing the Congress of adopting double standards, the YSRC leader said the Centre should allow the law to take its own course in the matter.
