Page 7 - P Chidambaram

Is govt so feeble can be toppled by stray statement: Chidambaram on Soros

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday said labelling remarks by George Soros as an 'attempt to topple the democratically elected government in India' was a puerile statement. He wondered if the Modi government was "so feeble" that it can be toppled by a stray statement of a 92-year-old rich foreign national. Chidambaram's statement came after the BJP reacted angrily to remarks made by Soros on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Munich Security conference, alleging that Soros was targeting the Indian democratic system so that people "hand-picked" by him get to run the government here. "The people of India will determine who will be in and who will be out of the government of India. "I did not know that the Modi government was so feeble that it can be toppled by the stray statement of a 92-year-old rich foreign national," Chidambaram said in a series of tweets. He also alleged that the Modi government's policies have created oligopolies instead of ushering in ...

P Chidambaram slams George Soros over 'revival of democracy' remark

"I did not know that the Modi government was so feeble that it can be toppled by the stray statement of a 92 year old rich foreign national", he said in another tweet

Low growth, high inflation, unemployment burdening people: Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Friday alleged that low growth, high inflation and unemployment are putting "intolerable burdens" on people, as he asked the government to candidly tell them what are the growth prospects in 2023-24. The former finance minister said, in its January 2023 report on Global Economic Prospects, the World Bank has further downgraded world growth to 1.7 per cent in 2023. "Yet the Government and the RBI continue to say that the Indian economic situation is 'eminently manageable'," Chidambaram said on Twitter. GDP growth has slid from quarter to quarter in 2022-23, the senior Congress leader said, asserting that the government must candidly tell the people what are the growth prospects in 2023-24 "Low growth, high inflation and unemployment are putting intolerable burdens on the people, especially the poor and the middle class," Chidambaram said. The Congress has been accusing the government of mishandling the economy and raising the issue of ...

Re-examine your theory on housing loan: Chidambaram to Finance Secy

Senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram on Sunday urged Finance Secretary T V Somanathan to "re-examine his theory" that a housing loan is not a saving. Somanathan, in an interview to The Hindu while talking about the old tax regime, said that if one looks at the structure of the tax deductions, half of them are for savings and half of them are for dis-savings like housing loan or interest on housing loan. "The Finance Secretary asks 'Is the housing loan a saving?' His answer is 'No'. I wonder how many people will agree with the Finance Secretary," Chidambaram said on Twitter. The payment of interest and the installments of the loan is indeed an expenditure, but it is expenditure which is converted into an asset, which is a saving, the former finance minister argued. "Suppose you spend the same money on a holiday or at a race course: there will be no asset at the end," he said. "The Finance Secretary should re-examine his theory that a Housing Loan is not

Govt displaying its anti-minority policy as 'badge of honour': Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday attacked the Centre for discontinuing the Maulana Azad National Fellowship, alleging that the government is on an "overdrive" to make life more difficult for students from minority communities. In a written reply in Lok Sabha earlier this week, Minority Affairs Minister Smriti Irani had said, "As the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) Scheme overlaps with various fellowship schemes for higher education, the government has decided to discontinue the MANF Scheme from 2022-23." In a series of tweets, Chidambaram said, "The government's excuse for scrapping the Maulana Azad National Fellowship and the subsidy for education loans to study abroad to minority students is grossly irrational and arbitrary." Even admitting that there are "overlapping" schemes, is the fellowship and subsidy to minority students the only schemes that overlap with another scheme, the former Union finance minister asked. "MGNREGA overlaps PM KISAN. Old age ..

Saradha case: ED attaches assets of P Chidambaram's wife, ex-CPM MLA

The ED on Friday said it has attached assets worth more than Rs 6 crore of "beneficiaries" such as Nalini Chidambaram, wife of Congress leader P Chidambaram, former CPM MLA Debendranath Biswas and a company "owned" by former Assam minister, the late Anjan Dutta, in the Saradha money laundering case. A provisional order for attaching movable properties worth Rs 3.3 crore and immovable assets worth Rs 3 crore has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the federal agency said in a statement. These properties were owned by the Saradha Group and other people, who were beneficiaries of "proceeds of crime" generated by the group, it said. The ED said the "beneficiaries" include Nalini Chidambaram, Debabrata Sarkar (an official of the East Bengal Club), Debendranath Biswas (a former IPS officer and ex-CPM MLA) and Anubhuti Printers and Publications "owned" by Dutta, who was a president of the Congress' Assam unit. Nalini Chidambaram's role in the case was allegedl

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Article 21 of Constitution triumphed: Chidambaram on Kappan's release

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram Thursday expressed happiness that "eventually Article 21 of the Constitution has triumphed" as Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan walked out of jail after over two years. Article 21 of the Constitution deals with the right to protection of life and personal liberty. Kappan was released from Lucknow district jail Thursday morning, a day after the sureties required for his bail were submitted in court. He and three others were arrested in October 2020 while on their way to Hathras where a Dalit woman died allegedly after being raped. They were accused of trying to instigate violence over the death of the Hathras woman. Reacting to Kappan's release, Chidambaram said, "I am glad that eventually Article 21 of the Constitution has triumphed and Siddique Kappan, the journalist from Kerala, is free." "Trial Court judges must push back on the demand for judicial custody which is really pre-trial incarceration," the former home minister said. Police had

Callous, betrayed hopes of vast majority, says P Chidambaram on Budget

Chidambaram mentioned that both the Capital Expenditure and the Effective Capital Expenditure of the central government is lower than the Budget estimates

Budget 2023 gets mixed reactions from politicians and industry experts

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her 5th Budget on Feb 1, 2023. Here's what different political leaders and industry experts think of Budget 2023

FM should cut cess, taxes on fuels and surcharge on income tax: Chidambaram

Finance minister must find out answers as to why India Inc. is not investing, says Congress leader

Constitution is supreme, says Chidambaram as he counters V-P Dhankhar

"The Hon'ble Chairman's views should warn every Constitution-loving citizen to be alert to the dangers ahead," Chidambaram said

Slap on the wrist of govt: P Chidambaram on SC's demonetisation verdict

Former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Monday said the majority verdict by the Supreme Court has steered clear of the question whether the objectives of the demonetisation exercise were achieved at all. The 'minority' judgement pointed out the 'illegality' and the 'irregularities' in the demonetisation, Chidambaram said on Monday soon after the apex court made its verdict. "Once the Hon'ble Supreme Court has declared the law, we are obliged to accept it. However, it is necessary to point out that the majority has not upheld the wisdom of the decision; nor has the majority concluded that the stated objectives were achieved," the senior Congress leader said in a tweet. "In fact the majority has steered clear of the question whether the objectives were achieved at all," he said. "We are happy that the minority judgement has pointed out the illegality and the irregularities in the demonetisation. It may be only a slap on the wrist of the government, but a welcome slap on the ..

Chidambaram asks if border clashes figured in Modi-Xi exchange in Bali

The Congress and treasury benches were engaged in a verbal spat in the Rajya Saba on Monday after ex-finance minister P Chidambaram sought to know if the border situation figured during the brief exchange Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bali. As the senior Congress leader referred to a video of Modi's brief chat with Jinping in Bali during the G20 summit last month, treasury benches raised a protest, alleging he was deviating from the discussion on supplementary grants. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar asked Chidambaram to place the video on the table of the House later in the day. Chidambaram said, "I just want to know, without going into details, was the border situation discussed? Don't tell me what you discussed." The BJP's G V L Narasimha Rao objected to Chidambaram's demand through a point of order under Rule 110 which stipulates that discussion on a motion that a bill be passed shall be confined to submission of arguments either in

AAP spoilt Cong party in Gujarat, has no appeal outside Delhi: Chidambaram

The Congress is best placed to be the "pole" around which a non-BJP front can be built for the 2024 general elections, senior party leader P Chidambaram said on Sunday and asserted that the Aam Aadmi Party does not have much appeal outside Delhi with the exception of Haryana and Punjab. Chidambaram also stressed that there were lessons to be learnt by the Congress from the Gujarat loss, saying there is no such thing as a "silent" campaign in a hard-fought election. In an interview with PTI, he also said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) played spoiler in Gujarat, like it did earlier in Goa and Uttarakhand. He weighed in on the recent elections in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh assemblies and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi should reflect on the fact that the BJP was in power in all three but was defeated in two. "That is a huge setback for the BJP. The win in Gujarat, important as it is, cannot hide the fact that the BJP, the incumbent, was defeated ...

Great loss to industry: Chidambaram 'shocked' over Vikram Kirloskar's death

Rajya Sabha MP and former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday expressed shock over the demise of Toyota Kirloskar Vice Chairman, Vikram S Kirloskar and said his contribution to the automobile sector would be remembered forever. Kirloskar died due to cardiac arrest at a hospital in Bengaluru on November 29, the automaker said. "Vikram Kirloskar's sudden passing away is a shock and a great loss to industry in India. Few business persons possessed his qualities of leadership, compassion and genuine friendship," Chidambaram said in a tweet. "His contribution to the automobile industry will be remembered forever. I offer my sincere and heartfelt condolences to his wife, daughter and the other members of his family." Toyota Kirloskar Motor is a joint venture between the Japanese auto maker Toyota Motor Company and the 130-year-old diversified conglomerate Kirloskar Group. The company, which sells a range of vehicles, unveiled a new variant of its highly popular sports ...

No one apologised or resigned for Morbi bridge tragedy: Chidambaram

Ahead of the upcoming Gujarat Assembly polls, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Tuesday hit out at the BJP over its "arrogance", saying no one so far has apologised or resigned for the Morbi bridge collapse tragedy which claimed 135 lives. Chidambaram, who was here to campaign for his party, also claimed that Gujarat was being "run from Delhi" and not by the chief minister of the state. The Gujarat Assembly polls will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5 and the counting of votes will be taken up on December 8. On October 30, a suspension bridge on the Machchuu river in Gujarat's Morbi district collapsed, claiming 135 lives. Chidambaram said, As per my knowledge nobody has apologised or resigned for such a big tragedy. This is due to the BJP's arrogance. If such a thing would have happened in a foreign country, there would have been immediate resignations." "They have not apologised as the government here thinks they will easily win the coming elections and they need no

'PM undermining basis of constituency-based parliamentary democracy'

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "undermining" the basis of a constituency-based parliamentary democracy and claimed that a presidential form of government which the RSS wants to usher will entrench "majoritarianism". His attack came over Modi's remarks at a poll rally in Himachal Pradesh's Solan where he exhorted people to support the "lotus" (BJP's election symbol), saying their votes to it will be their "blessings" to him and that they should keep in mind not the candidates but "kamal ka phool". "Hon'ble PM said that the voters need not remember the name of the candidate in the constituency. Hon'ble PM also said 'vote for the lotus, it is a vote for Modi'," Chidambaram said. "Having shunned Parliamentary debates and press conferences, the Hon'ble PM is now undermining the very basis of a constituency-based Parliamentary democracy," the former Union minister alleged on Twitter. "We know that the RSS and its bhakts have nursed

Legacy of Modi govt after 8 years, no jobs: Chidambaram attacks Centre

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday attacked the Centre over the issue of unemployment, alleging that the legacy of the Modi government after eight years is "no jobs". The Congress has been attacking the government over alleged lack of jobs for the youth and rising unemployment. "After 37 lakhs in Uttar Pradesh applying for Grade 'C' jobs, we have 35 lakh applicants for 40,000 Agniveer jobs. Is the government listening to the anguished voices of the young men: 'we are desperate, we have no choice'," Chidambaram said in a tweet. "That is the legacy of the Modi government after 8 years: NO JOBS," the former finance minister asserted. The unemployment rate is eight per cent, which is understated because of massive disguised employment, he added. "The September Monthly Review of the Ministry of Finance does not utter a word on unemployment!" Chidambaram said. The senior Congress leader has been alleging that the government's policies have resulted in worsening the econom

Govt on denial mode on Global Hunger Index ranking: P Chidambaram

Ex-Finance Minister P Chidambaram has alleged that the government was in a denial mode on the poverty and hunger index rankings