 "Karti Chidambaram. Illustration: Binay Sinha")
Former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram's son Karti Chidambaram has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP-led) central government of political vendetta, saying people know why some individuals are being targeted.
Karti, who has been booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a case of allegedly using influence to get the FDI proposal cleared in a media company when his father was the Finance Minister, told NewsX that he was not the only one facing cases.
He described the case against him as "political vendetta" and said he had the backing of the Congress Party.
"I think people by and large and neutral observers know what's happening to people. Why certain people are being put under this kind of scrutiny. It is obvious. My father has given a very detailed statement. He has clearly said that he will continue to speak and write against the government. He is a vocal critic on issues that concern the party and the nation," Karti said.
Referring to the cases he is facing, Karti said: "It is not something happening uniquely to me. It was happening to senior party leaders as also regional parties elsewhere."
"There is style, colour of toxic vitriolic politics in India. If you are in politics, you need to accept this new normal and move on... I do not think people judge you or not take you seriously in politics because this kind of thing is happening to somebody," he added.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had last month registered a case against Karti Chidambaram under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on the basis of a corruption case filed by the CBI earlier.
In the FIR, Karti is alleged to have got Rs 3.5 crore from INX media, now 9X media, for helping it in the clearance of a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) proposal during his father's tenure as the finance minister.
Chidambaram had termed as "false and baseless" the CBI case against Karti relating to the clearance of an FIPB proposal of INX Ltd.
On its part, the government had rejected allegations that the raids and cases filed against Karti and Rahtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and his children were done out of political vendetta, saying investigative agencies worked on a rational basis and on the basis of evidence.
