Rahul, Priyanka meet Chidambaram in Tihar Jail; express solidarity

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met P Chidambaram at Tihar Jail on Wednesday and expressed solidarity with the former finance minister who has been in custody for over three months.

The meeting came ahead of a Supreme Court hearing on Chidambaram's bail application in the INX Media corruption case.

The senior Congress leader was first arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on August 21 in the INX Media corruption case and was granted bail by the Supreme Court on October 22. He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the money laundering case on October 16 and is in judicial custody till November 27 under the order of a trial court.

"It's been 99 days today. It's rather unfair that one needs to be kept in custody for 99 days only as a remand. He is not even an undertrial but on remand. The system is unfair. I hope we will get justice in the Supreme Court and he will back home soon," said Karti Chidambaram, who was also present during the meeting that lasted for close to 50 minutes.

Karti Chidambaram said that with the visit of Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, it is clear that the Congress party is with him.

"We are particularly pleased that both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra came and met him. This sends a very powerful signal that the Congress party is completely with my father in this exercise where he is facing the onslaught and wrath of the state in a pure political vendetta case," he said.

Sources said Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi expressed solidarity with Chidambaram.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had also met Chidambaram at Tihar Jail in September. The party "fully" stands behind Chidambaram and will fight the case politically, Sonia Gandhi was quoted as having said during the meeting.

Senior Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari had met Chidambaram on Monday.

The ED on Tuesday opposed in the Supreme Court the bail plea of Chidambaram in the INX Media money laundering case claiming that he used the "influential office" of finance minister for "personal gains" and laundered proceeds of crime to conceal "tainted money".