The 74-year-old Congress leader has been in custody since August 21, when he was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the INX-Media corruption case.
The war of words between United Progressive Alliance government and the main Opposition BJP over the economic situation saw BJP leader Yashwant Sinha calling Finance Minister P Chidambaram a 'conceited person' for labelling L K Advani 'our own John McCain'. Advani, Leader of Opposition and BJP's prime ministerial candidate, had called a meeting of 15 top captains of Indian industry on Thursday to discuss the issues plaguing the Indian economy in the wake of the global meltdow
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to create history when she presents her seventh straight Budget on Tuesday for the fiscal 2024-25, surpassing the record of former prime minister Morarji Desai. Sitharaman, who will turn 65 next month, was in 2019 appointed as India's first full-time woman finance minister when Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a decisive second term.
Chidambaram said he was honoured that the two leaders visited him.
"As FM, I granted approval in the normal course of business," he said in a statement.
Apart from them, Chidambaram's wife -- Nalini -- has been chargesheeted by the CBI in the Saradha chit-fund scam for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 1.4 crore.
'During his stint as prime minister, he got 270 million people out of poverty.' 'This, according to the World Bank, is the fastest compression of poverty anywhere in the world.' Arvind Mayaram, the former finance secretary, recalls his encounters with Dr Manmohan Singh.
Chidambaram has not been named as an accused in the FIR and the CBI is yet to file a chargesheet in the matter.
Senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram said the stimulus package has left several sections like the poor, migrants, farmers, labourers, workers, small shopkeepers and middle class high and dry.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday told the Supreme Court that 15 accused, including Chidambaram, his son Karti and some companies have been chargesheeted in the case.
With the tablet carefully kept inside a red cover with a golden-coloured national emblem embossed on it instead of the briefcase, Parliament will be her next destination after the call on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
A Supreme Court bench, while granting bail to Chidambaram, asked him not to make any public comment in connection with the case.
While posting the matter for hearing on Thursday, the bench said: "We are conscious that we should not usurp the jurisdiction of the concerned trial court".
'After today's performance there is no doubt that he is the find of this edition of IPL.'
Special Judge O P Saini issued notice to the agency and sought its response by October 8.
The court decided the bail petition on three grounds -- flight risk, tampering with evidence and influencing witnesses.
The Congress leader was first arrested by the CBI on August 21.
The trial court had earlier said that the allegations against Chidambaram were found serious, therefore, he was remanded to police custody.
Justice Suresh Kait issued a notice to the CBI on Chidambaram's bail plea in which he has claimed that it was the case of 'political vendetta'.
Slamming the Budget, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday said the Modi government was in complete denial that the economy faces a "grave macro economic challenge" and it has given up on reviving the economy, accelerating growth or creating jobs. There is nothing in the Budget that leads one to believe that growth will revive in 2020-21 and the claim of 6 to 6.5 per cent growth next year is "astonishing and even irresponsible", the former finance minister said at a press conference.
Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal on Thursday contested the claims of former Telecom Secretary Siddhartha Behura over a December, 2007, meeting held regarding entry fees for 2G licences, in which he had said the then Finance Minister P Chidambaram and former Finance Secretary D Subbarao were present.
Chidambaram said he would count every additional rupee the government infuses into the economy and examine what the poor, hungry and devastated migrant workers get after walking hundreds of kilometres to their home states.
Like other inmates, he will also have access to the prison's library and can watch television for a specified period.
Chidambaram said the stimulus package has left several sections like the poor, migrants, farmers, labourers, workers, small shopkeepers and middle class high and dry.
The Congress on Monday distanced itself from former Finance Minister P Chidambaram's statement that the banning of Salman Rushdie's controversial novel 'The Satanic Verses' by the Rajiv Gandhi government was wrong.
Apart from INX Media and Aircel-Maxis, the four other firms which are under the scanner are Diageo Scotland, Essar Steel, Katara Holdings and Elforge Ltd. These firms were granted FIPB approval when Chidambaram was the FM, reports Shrimi Choudhary.
However, the bench said Chidambaram is at a liberty to seek remedy in accordance with the law.
Taking a jibe at Yashwant Sinha, the finance minister said that he doesn't have luxury of being former finance minister.
Naidu informed the House that he had received letters from Singh and 13 other MPs seeking leave of absence on medical grounds.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday took a swipe at the BJP over the cut in excise duties on petrol and diesel, saying the results of the 30 assembly and three Lok Sabha by-elections have "produced a by-product".
Home Minister P Chidambaram was on Friday appointed the head of the Empowered Group of Ministers on spectrum auction that was reconstituted after Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar declined the job.
Modi had challenge to the opposition to publicly declare that they are prepared to accord Indian citizenship to all Pakistanis.
Chidambaram, 74, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation on August 21 and is lodged in Tihar jail under judicial custody in the corruption case.
Coming to the defence of Home Minister P Chidambaram, the government on Friday insisted that the former finance minister had "no role anywhere" in the 2G spectrum allocation controversy and demands for his resignation were a "conspiracy" against him.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing CBI and ED, contended that the Congress leader was evasive during interrogation and was giving long answers.
Chidambaram had on Wednesday rushed to a trial court for protection from arrest in Aircel-Maxis case before approaching the Delhi high court in connection with the INX Media case, in which he has been asked by probe agencies to join investigations.
Former Telecom Minister A Raja on Monday told a Delhi court that former finance minister and now Home Minister P Chidambaram, should be summoned and examined as a witness in the 2G spectrum allocation case.
The probe agency is understood to have alerted all airports and other ports of entry to prevent Chidambaram from leaving, sources said.
After questioning him for four hours in the morning, Chidambaram was taken to a special court in Delhi which sent him to CBI custody till Monday.
Bringing their differences into open, outgoing RBI Governor D Subbarao took a dig at Finance Minister P Chidambaram for his comment once that he would "walk alone" to ensure growth in the face of tight money policy of the central bank.
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