Chidambaram faces flak on Vedanta links

Used to dominating Parliament proceedings with his oratorial skill, Finance Minister P Chidambaram found himself in a novel position today with both the Opposition NDA and UPA allies taking swipes at him on different issues.

The morning began with the demand for his resignation in the Rajya Sabha by AIADMK and Samajwadi Party members over allegations contained in Rohit Poddar's book "Vedanta's Billions" on the stock market in India.

Referring to the finance minister's reported stint in Vedanta Resource as non-executive director before he became the finance minister in 2004, the book reportedly linked Chidambaram with Sterlite Group's Anil Agrawal who holds a majority stake in Balco.