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Chidambaram forced CBI to file case against Jaya: Swamy

Janata Party president Dr Subramanian Swamy today endorsed the allegation of former Central Bureau of Investigation director Joginder Singh that a former Union minister hailing from Tamil Nadu had pressurised the official to register a CBI case against All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham general secretary J Jayalalitha.

Addressing the media in Madras, Dr Swamy said there was evidence to support Singh's claim in the latter's book Inside CBI .

He claimed that the minister referred to by Singh in his book was former Union finance minister P Chidambaram.

Quoting former prime minister H D Deve Gowda as telling him that "Mr Chidambaram had even harassed him about Ms Jayalalitha", he said the Prime Minister's Office had forwarded all notes from Chidambaram on Jayalalitha to the law ministry for an opinion.

Then law minister Ramakanth Khalap had complained to the prime minister that Chidambaram had dictated to him how he was to draft his opinion to the PMO, Dr Swamy claimed.

Chidambaram deserved to be condemned for it, he added.

Initially, it has been said, that Singh had opposed the Tamil Nadu government's request to file a CBI case against Jayalalitha in the $ 300,000 foreign remittances case. However, he finally agreed to file the case, considering the state government's views in a federal set up.

On the controversy over the transfer of cases against Jayalalitha from one special court to another without the Centre's concurrence as required under Section 4(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, Dr Swamy said the state government was yet to give a convincing explanation on the need for transferring the cases from the principal sessions court, which was also a designated special court, to freshly appointed special courts.

He ridiculed Tamil Maanila Congress president G K Moopanar for having written to President K R Narayanan, protesting against the attorney general's action in questioning the transfer.

Dr Swamy also claimed that Chief Minister M Karunanidhi was advised about the legal requirement of seeking the Centre's approval before transferring the existing cases, but the latter chose not to do so at the instance of Chidambaram.

He also endorsed the AIADMK MPs' memorandum to the President seeking the dismissal of the DMK government for allegedly usurping the powers of the Union government.

UNI

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