Chidambaram, Jaitley slam CBI for 'indiscriminately targetting bankers'

Arun Jaitley and P Chidambaram. Pics/AFP

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday slammed the CBI for "indiscriminately targetting" some of the bankers, saying the agency has received "ultimate certificate" on its action from Union Minister Arun Jaitley, who had criticised it.

In a series of tweets, the former finance and home minister said he was glad that Jaitley's conscience and legal acumen have finally stirred to condemn the "indiscriminate targetting of eminent bankers", in cases where the allegations are about thousands of crores of rupees. "The CBI has received the ultimate certificate from the one who has the best ringside seat, the finance minister (on leave): 'Adventurism and megalomania have overtaken investigators'!" he said.

Chidambaram said the government was in slumber when there was "indiscriminate targeting" of distinguished IAS officers and others, in cases where the allegations are about small sums of money, in an apparent reference to the Aircel-Maxis case in which a number of IAS officers have been named in the chargesheet. Chidambaram has also been named as accused by the CBI in the case. "'What cause are we serving or actually hurting?' asks the FM. He knows the answer. The cause of justice," he said.

The CBI is also probing the alleged role of Chidambaram as finance minister in the INX media case and had last week sought the sanction of the Central government to prosecute him.

Jaitley has criticised the CBI for planning to question eminent bankers like K V Kamath in the Chanda Kochhar case of alleged cheating and fraud in the ICICI-Videocon loan case. Jaitley, in a write-up on Facebook, had slammed the CBI for naming the "who's who of the banking industry" without concentrating on the "bull's eye" in the case.

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