Former Home Minister, Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram’s dramatic arrest by the CBI and ED for his alleged involvement in the INX Media scam has sent the Opposition in a tizzy. DMK led an all-opposition party demonstration at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi today to protest against the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
The protests were announced on Monday. However, after Delhi High Court rejected former Home Minister P Chidambaram’s bail plea, a drama unfolded where he went ‘missing’ for over 24 hours only to emerge at AICC headquarters last evening. This was followed by an even more dramatic arrest which involved the CBI officials scaling the walls of his residence as he refused to let them inside. Congress MP and P Chidambaram’s son Karti Chidambaram, also a co-accused in various cases of corruption and money laundering along with his father, took a flight on Thursday early morning to Delhi.
Meanwhile, on landing in Delhi, Karti said that he would also go to Jantar Mantar where Opposition parties were to demonstrate against abrogation of Article 370.
Karti Chidambaram in Delhi: The protest in Jantar Mantar is about #Article370. Our whole party, alliance parties, the leader of DMK raised this issue (P Chidambaram’s arrest) as well, Mr. MK Stalin condemned it yesterday. https://t.co/mkTlgE3OHF
— ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2019
However, Karti Chidambaram’s dramatic entry at Jantar Mantar stole the opposition parties’ show as the media attention went to to Karti as media seemed to be more interested in knowing what the next step of the father-son duo would be.
Delhi: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) led All-Party Demonstration, demanding the “release of leaders detained in Jammu & Kashmir” underway at Jantar Mantar. Congress leaders Karti Chidambaram & Ghulam Nabi Azad, RJD leader Manoj Jha, and others also present. pic.twitter.com/zyPRosTRDD
— ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2019
As seen above, Brinda Karat (CPIM), Manoj Jha (RJD) and Ghulam Nabi Azad (Congress) aren’t particularly excited at the limelight being taken away from them by Karti.
After all, Jammu and Kashmir is now an integral part of India without any conditions after the abrogation of Article 370. And it is clearly not going anywhere, unlike some of the high profile financial fraud accused who have a tendency to flee the country to evade law take its course.