 "P Chidambaram")
‘PC’, to younger readers of this website, might mean film actor Priyanka Chopra. But in the world of politics and finance, ‘PC’ has always meant senior Congress leader P Chidambaram. This, however, is the story not just of Chidambaram, but also of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, and of their friendship.
Chidambaram and Jaitley, both Supreme Court lawyers and arguably the sharpest minds in their respective political parties, the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party, have been friends for over 25 years.
Chidambaram, 70, achieved success in the political arena earlier than 63-year-old Jaitley. After his days as a student leader in the mid-1970s, Jaitley, who hails from a middle class family, devoted his younger years to building his law practice. Slowly but surely, Jaitley reached the acme of his political career with the victory of the BJP in the 2014 elections, while Chidambaram’s star has somewhat faded with the defeat of the Congress party. Their fortunes might have changed but the two continue to count each other as friends. At a Congress press conference after Jaitley's budget speech on Monday, Chidambaram launched into a critique of the budget but added that Jaitley was a "good friend".
Their friendship has been an eyesore for several in the political circles. It must have warmed the hearts of several detractors of the two men when Jaitley said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that his government would not spare those found guilty in the Aircel-Maxis deal and that there were no ‘holy cows’. “Nobody – and I underline the word ‘nobody’ – however, important he is, would be spared if he is found to be prima facie guilty,” Jaitley said.
Flashback to nearly four years back. It was May 14, 2012. Jaitley was then the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Chidambaram was the Home Minister of India. The Parliament was discussing the 2G scam and Jaitley was under pressure from within his party to raise the Aircel-Maxis deal. Jaitley led the Opposition’s charge to question Chidambaram on the deal.
Chidambaram initially said he was “happy” that his “friend of 22 years” was raising the issue. “I have great respect for the manner in which he raised the question,” Chidambaram said, “and I sincerely hope that I would be able to respond to that and clarify all the doubts.”
But when Jaitley continued to grill the Congress leader, Chidambaram became emotional. “(I don’t) want to reveal private conversations (presumably between Jaitley and him) but I still maintain that it would be much simpler if somebody took a dagger and plunged it into my heart rather than question my integrity,” he said. The barb was clearly directed at Jaitley.
At the time, Jaitley was a rare supporter in the Opposition ranks of Chidambaram's line on countering the Maoist challenge when it was being criticised from even within the Congress by leaders like Digvijaya Singh. He replied: "Our concern is not to plunge a dagger in somebody’s heart.... The purity and fairness of the government must be maintained."
Circumstances, it would seem, are conspiring to lay several thorns in the path of Jaitley-Chidambaram friendship in the days and months to come.
