During the arguments, Swamy said the evidence he had brought on court's record prima facie show that Chidambaram is equally culpable as former Telecom Minister A Raja, who is facing trial in the 2G spectrum allocation scam.
"The January 5 meeting is the first step in the consultations. In the first step, we have called the recognised parties in the state to devise a mechanism and a roadmap (on the issue," he told a press conference, the state chief minister has been invited to the meeting in his official capacity.
Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday attacked Public Accounts Committee Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi saying his draft report on his role in 2G spectrum allocation was a "gross distortion" which "deliberately and mischievously" omitted his suggestions on the issue.
Union Home Minister Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday denied that any decision has been taken with regard to the mercy petition filed by Afzal Guru, who has been given death sentence in the Parliament attack case.
On a mission to understand the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the all party delegation on Monday began its two-day exercise with Home Minister P Chidambaram promising the people of the state that their future, honour and dignity are secure as part of India.
"At present, there is no reservation for women in government jobs. We will bring forward a bill providing reservation for women in government jobs," he said, addressing a meeting to thank voters in his constituency Sivaganga. Chidambaram also said he was confident that the bill for 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and assemblies would be passed.
The Centre will look into the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and consider "every essential aspect", Home Minister P Chidambaram said on Friday while making it clear that maintenance of law and order will be the primary responsibility of the Jammu and Kashmir government.
Jammu and Kashmir politicians have welcomed the Union home minister's decision to possibly reduce the number of troops in the state.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today dismissed reports that some chief ministers were angry with the contents of his letter to them on the steps they should take to thwart terrorism.
Official sources said the Minister, who spent over two hours at the CGO Complex office, held a close door meeting with CRPF Director General Vikram Srivastava and other top officers in which a presentation was made before the Minister.
Pakistan is "pretty dysfunctional" and "perilously close" to becoming a failed state, Home Minister P Chidambaram has said as he voiced concern over the spread of Taliban influence in that country which could have a spill-over effect on India.
Top Maoist leader Kishenji on Wednesday turned down Union Home Minister P Chidamabaram's conditional offer of talks saying that the government should "first stop violence".
The Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has made it clear that he never wanted the Indian Premier League Season II to be postponed in view of election schedule but only wanted the dates to be re-jigged.
Chidambaram, who arrived in New York on the first leg of his four-day US visit on Tuesday, was briefed by officials from FBI, intelligence and security agencies and New York Police about the measures being taken by them to prevent any Mumbai-type terrorist attacks.
Slamming Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati for spending Rs 1,000 crore to install her own statues, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has said the amount could have been used to provide basic amenities to the people of the state and wipe out poverty. "Of what use will be the statues in that state? The Rs 1000 crore could have helped wipe out the poverty of thousands of people and provided basic amenities and education," he said.
The Centre on Saturday rejected the Bharatiya Janata Party's demand for immediate removal of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla, on the basis of Chief Election commissioner N Gopalaswami's recommendation, stating that the positions held by the three election commissioners are constitutional posts.Replying to a question raised by rediff.com, Home minister P Chidambaram said, "They hold constitutional positions and neither you nor I can change that position".
Expressing shock over the 'very high' casualty of Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Chhattisgarh, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday said something must have gone 'drastically' wrong in the joint operation with the state police. "The casualty is very high and I am deeply shocked at the loss of lives. This shows the savage nature of the Communist Party of India - Maoist and their brutality and the savagery they are capable of," he said.
Describing Naxalism as the country's 'first enemy', Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has assured that the menace would be completely rooted out in another two or three years. He said Naxalism has assumed gigantic proportions as it had not been dealt with properly in the last 12 years. "Naxalism is the first enemy of the country," he said while addressing a public meeting at suburban Avadi, 45 km from Chennai, late on Sunday night.
India may break off business, transport and tourist links with Pakistan if it fails to help to investigate the Mumbai attacks, Home Minister P Chidambaram has warned, pressing Islamabad to "cooperate soon."
Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid on Monday downplayed the row over the finance ministry note on Home Minister P Chidambaram's stand on the 2G spectrum issue, saying there is no scope for any worry over the document and inferences drawn out of it were "not correct". Khurshid also said the note was not worth keeping the media "preoccupied" for such a long time. "I have seen the note. I don't think the note has anything on which we should express worry," Khurshid said.
The suspense over Home Minister P Chidambaram's alleged role in the 2G scam is likely to be over by Saturday when a Delhi court would decide the plea of Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy to make him an accused in the case.
Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Saturday strongly backed P Chidambram over the latest controversy surrounding the finance ministry note on 2G scam and accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha of targeting the home minister as he acted against "Sanghi" terror.
Hours before the visit of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, Maoists struck in a big way attacking a railway station, damaging communication towers and looting a block office in Orissa's Koraput district on Thursday.
The wife of arrested IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt has written a letter to the Union home minister P Chidambram stating that he apprehends danger to his life from a "vindictive administration".
During the all-party meeting on December 7, there had been a consensus over Telangana. On that basis, on December 9, the Centre had in principle decided to create a new state. However, today, the situation in Andhra Pradesh has altered. The parties involved have a difference in opinion. There is a need for more consultations for a consensus to emerge on the issue, Chidambaram said.
The Forum will host a special session on 'The reality of terrorism', to be initiated by Union home minister P Chidambaram. The deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, and commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma will be part of the Indian delegation.
Continuing to bicker with West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee through letters, Home Minister P Chidambaram has described the killings of political workers in the state as 'alarming' and said that the violence points to a virtual collapse of law and order in some parts of Bengal. He also said he used the word Harmad (hired killers) in an earlier letter because of its extensive usage in the media.
Home Ministers from South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation nations discussed ways to strengthen police cooperation and other means to combat terrorism that has afflicted the region. The SAARC Interior Ministers' conference, attended by Home Minister P Chidambaram, also discussed proposals like maritime security and anti-piracy operations under the SAARC charter.
United States' Central Intelligence Agency chief Leon Panetta on Thursday met Home Minister P Chidambaram and discussed various issues including terrorism and unrest in neighbouring Pakistan. During the meeting, the two sides expressed satisfaction on the close cooperation between India and the US in the aftermath of the terror strikes on Mumbai in November, official sources said. The two sides also looked for new ways to forge closer alliance between the two countries.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday condemned the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind's opposition to the recitation of Vande Mataram by Muslims and said the presence of Home Minister P Chidambaram in its general assembly had legitimised the resolution. "We begin our programmes by singing Vande Mataram. But the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind function started with a protest against the national song," said BJP vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.
Rejecting Union Home Minister P Chidambaram's offer of talks, pro-Pakistani hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Wednesday said that the solution to the Kashmir issue lies in tripartite talks, aimed at giving the right of self-determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Commenting on the statement by Chidambaram that the Centre is ready for talks with all shades of political opinion in the state, the hardline separatist leader said, "There is nothing new."
Militant groups, particularly those operating in the northeast, have realised that violence will never pay and the only way to solve their problems is peace negotiations, Home Minister P Chidambaram said on Friday. He also said that the Centre, in collaboration with state governments, made efforts to deal with insurgent groups operating in the region through various ways in the last two years.
Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday deprecated the issuing of diktats against women by a 'khap' panchayat in Baghpat and said that he expected the Uttar Pradesh government to take action against those who try to enforce such "illegal" orders.
On his first visit to the heart of Naxal territory in West Bengal, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram ruled out the involvement of the military in anti-Maoist operations and made a fresh offer of dialogue with the left-wing extremists.
The Centre will respond as soon as possible on the demand for separate Telangana state, Home Minister P Chidambaram said on Monday.
In a move indicative of a hardening of stand against the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, the ruling Congress has decided to cock a snook against the BJP. Renu Mittal reports.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has more or less finalised the plan to tweak the Union Cabinet before Parliament opens on August 8. Three ministers will be shifted to the new portfolios. Home Minister P Chidambaram, as expected, will become the finance minister. He succeeds Pranab Mukherjee who has become President of India. He is impatiently waiting for the announcement to be made within 'three to four days'. Sheela Bhatt reports.
The government has noticed "minimal" presence of Maoists in the northeast region, Home Minister P Chidambaram told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. "In recent months, we have noticed minimal presence of Maoists in northeast," he said during Question Hour.
"I have seen visuals on television, which indicate that a lot needs to be done. Members of Parliament from the affected areas will get back to us with updates," Chidambaram said, virtually ruling out sending any official delegation to the state.
Pakistan on Monday strongly condemned Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram''s comments that Islamabad was playing a role in instigating the Kashmiri population to commit acts of violence. Describing the statement as highly irresponsible and indicative of New Delhi not being serious about solving the Kashmir issue, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said instead of passing such statements, India should focus on halting and human rights abuse taking place in J&K.