The Congress on Friday claimed that ‘No minister will ever sign a file’ if they go by the fate of Mr. P. Chidambaram in the INX Media corruption case and called the action against the former finance minister as a ‘paramount example of political vendetta’.
Addressing a press conference at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters, former Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh accused the government of planning a conspiracy to “defame and character assassinate” the former finance minister in the INX Media case.
In the case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has accused Mr. Chidambaram of taking a bribe from the promoters of the company, INX Media — Peter Mukherjea and his wife, Indrani Mukherjea — to allow foreign investment in contravention of the rules.
‘Hundreds of files’
“If this philosophy is adopted, I can tell you that very soon no minister will ever sign a file,”said Mr. Ramesh and added, “As a minister for eight years, I have signed hundreds of file; sometimes I have disagreed with the files that have come to me and sometimes I have agreed. Where I have disagreed, I have given reasons for the disagreement and where I have agreed, I have simply signed”.
“Now, if the penalty for signing on file, based on what has come to the minister, is custody in Tihar jail, I can assure, no minister will sign any file,” he added.
‘Cleared by officials’
Mr. Ramesh, however, refused to take any questions from reporters, stating that the matter was in court. He, however, contended that the INX proposal was first examined by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) that includes several senior officials and was headed by the then finance secretary, was signed by 11 other officials without any dissent note or opinion and was cleared along with several other proposals of foreign investment.
“INX Media file was one among 24 other FIPB proposals and had the signatures of 11 other officials. No official dissented or made a comment...These aspects have not been revealed by the agencies,” said the former Union minister.
Mr Ramesh repeated what the former Finance Minister had stated through an earlier statement that “no official is guilty of any wrong doing”.