Centre indulging in vendetta politics against Chidambaram: Ashok Gehlot

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday said that the NDA government at the centre is indulging in vendetta politics and former finance minister P Chidambaram's detention is an example of that.

He along with Congress MP and Chidambaram's son Karti Chidambaram visited the Congress leader at Tihar jail today.

"Chidambaram's detention is an example of vendetta politics being practised in the whole country. He has been in detention for 70 days and this shows that no democracy is left in the nation. Chidambaram has great faith in the judiciary. The Supreme Court has given him bail in one case and the same argument is happening in the other case. We believe that after the order of the Supreme Court, lower courts generally give bail without a thought. We believe that he will get bail soon," Gehlot told reporters here.

Gehlot also stated that Chidambaram had served the nation for 45 years and now he got jail as 'his reward'.

"The Indian Economy is dying and P Chidambaram is concerned about it even in jail. There is no strength in cases against him. The whole country is watching this and the NDA government will need to pay for this," he added.

Echoing similar sentiments, Karti Chidambaram said that his father is a victim of vendetta politics and the case against him is purely political in nature.

"This is vendetta politics to target the critics of this government. The government is trying to lower my father's stature in the public eye. We view this as a purely political case. This case has no merit and will eventually collapse in the Court. Party leadership is standing with my father," Karti told reporters.

Chidambaram was arrested on August 21 by the CBI in connection with the graft case and was later sent to Tihar Jail.

The CBI had registered an FIR on May 15, 2017, alleging irregularities in a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance granted to the INX Media group for receiving overseas funds of Rs 305 crore in 2007, during Chidambaram's tenure as finance minister.

Thereafter, the ED lodged a money laundering case in this regard in 2017.