News Analysis India

Tag: Chidambaram

  • Freedom suppressed all over India but most severely in J-K, claims Chidambaram

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday attacked the government over its assertion that the abrogation of Article 370 ushered peace in Jammu and Kashmir, alleging that “freedom is suppressed” all over India but it is most severely suppressed in the Union Territory.

    On the fourth anniversary of Article 370’s abrogation, the government on Saturday highlighted that the “historic” decision ushered in peace and development in Jammu and Kashmir.

    The biggest change after the abrogation of the article is that the common people of Jammu and Kashmir are living life according to their own wishes, Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha had said in Srinagar.

    In a tweet, Chidambaram said, “The Government and the LG of Jammu & Kashmir celebrate the ‘peace’ that has descended on the State (now UT) after the abrogation of Article 37.”

    “I wish to quote President (John) Kennedy who warned against the ‘peace of the grave and the silence of the slave’,” the former home minister said.

    If there is so much peace in Jammu and Kashmir, why has the government put Mehbooba Mufti under house arrest and sealed the offices of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and National Conference, Chidambaram asked.

    “Freedom is suppressed all over India but it is most severely suppressed in J&K,” he alleged.

    The BJP on Saturday marked the day with a public meeting in Srinagar and its leaders there said that following the 2019 decision, there has been no shutdowns in the Kashmir Valley, and with the situation getting better, the Union Territory has hosted international events and witnessed record tourist footfall.

    The Centre on August 5, 2019 had revoked Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcated it into union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

    NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday attacked the government over its assertion that the abrogation of Article 370 ushered peace in Jammu and Kashmir, alleging that “freedom is suppressed” all over India but it is most severely suppressed in the Union Territory.

    On the fourth anniversary of Article 370’s abrogation, the government on Saturday highlighted that the “historic” decision ushered in peace and development in Jammu and Kashmir.

    The biggest change after the abrogation of the article is that the common people of Jammu and Kashmir are living life according to their own wishes, Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha had said in Srinagar.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    In a tweet, Chidambaram said, “The Government and the LG of Jammu & Kashmir celebrate the ‘peace’ that has descended on the State (now UT) after the abrogation of Article 37.”

    “I wish to quote President (John) Kennedy who warned against the ‘peace of the grave and the silence of the slave’,” the former home minister said.

    If there is so much peace in Jammu and Kashmir, why has the government put Mehbooba Mufti under house arrest and sealed the offices of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and National Conference, Chidambaram asked.

    “Freedom is suppressed all over India but it is most severely suppressed in J&K,” he alleged.

    The BJP on Saturday marked the day with a public meeting in Srinagar and its leaders there said that following the 2019 decision, there has been no shutdowns in the Kashmir Valley, and with the situation getting better, the Union Territory has hosted international events and witnessed record tourist footfall.

    The Centre on August 5, 2019 had revoked Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcated it into union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

  • Fail to understand what merit BJD, YSRCP have found in Delhi services bill: Chidambaram

    The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Tuesday extended its support to the bill replacing the Delhi services ordinance in a boost to the treasury benches. NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Tuesday took a swipe at the BJD and the YSRCP for pledging support for the bill to replace the Delhi services ordinance and said he fails to understand what merit they have found in the legislation.

    The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Tuesday extended its support to the bill replacing the Delhi services ordinance in a boost to the treasury benches, especially in Rajya Sabha, and also backed the government against the no-confidence motion brought by opposition parties.

    Last week, Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) functionaries had said that the party will vote in favour of the government in Rajya Sabha when it takes up the bill to replace the Delhi Services ordinance next week.

    In a tweet, Chidambaram said, “I can understand BJP MPs supporting the Delhi Services Authority Bill, but I fail to understand what merit in the bill was found by the BJD and YSRCP parties.”

    The Union government on Tuesday tabled the contentious bill in Lok Sabha to replace the Delhi services ordinance amid vociferous protests by opposition member.

    The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which gives the Delhi Lieutenant Governor a final say on the transfer and posting of officials of the city government, will strengthen the Central government’s control over the national capital.

    “Have the two parties (ruling parties in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh) found merit in the three-member authority where the (Delhi) chief minister will be just one against two officers appointed by the central government?” the former home minister said.

    Have they found merit in the provision where the two officers can constitute the quorum and hold a meeting and take decisions without the participation of the chief minister, he asked.

    “Have they found merit in the provision where the two officers can overrule the chief minister? Have they found merit in the provision where the LG can overrule even a unanimous decision of the authority?” Chidambaram said on Twitter.

    He asked have the two parties found merit in the provision that empowers the central government to define the “powers and duties” of the officers working in the Delhi government to the exclusion of the ministers of the Delhi government.

    The Congress leader tweeted, “Have the two parties realised that if the bill were passed, the officers will be the masters and the ministers will be the subordinates?”

    The BJD became the second party besides the YSR Congress, among those not formally aligned with either the ruling BJP or the opposition, to announce support to the Centre on the Delhi services bill, dealing a blow to the opposition’s efforts to cobble together a majority in Rajya Sabha where the treasury benches lack a majority on their own.

  • ‘India’s second freedom struggle’: Chidambaram, Sonia hail ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’; Anand Sharma extends ‘best wishes’ to Rahul

    By PTI

    KANYAKUMARI: Bharat Jodo Yatra, launched by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, is the country’s second freedom struggle and it will go on till the divisive forces are defeated, Congress senior leader and former Union Minister P Chidambaram said.

    Lashing out at the BJP for criticising the nationwide yatra, he said the BJP would have no role in this second freedom struggle, which will see that party decimated.

    “I wish to tell those criticising our Bharat Jodo Yatra that you had no role in India’s freedom struggle during which Mahatma Gandhi gave the slogan: do or die. Now too, you will have no role. Our journey will not end till the divisive forces are defeated,” Chidambaram said addressing the rally near the Gandhi Mandapam here in the presence of Rahul Gandhi.

    The BJP leaders belittled the Congress yatra, as they apparently did not want the nation to remain united.

    “When we say let’s unite, they say divide,” he said indicating that the saffron party’s attempt to divide the nation will not fructify.

    Congress president Sonia Gandhi described the “Bharat Jodo Yatra” on Wednesday as a landmark occasion and hoped that the 3,500-km foot march would help rejuvenate the party.

    In her message read out at the rally in Kanyakumari, Gandhi said she would be participating in the yatra daily in thought and spirit.

    “In view of the medical check-ups that I am undergoing, I regret my inability to be with all of you in person this momentous evening to launch the historic Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.

    “This is a landmark occasion for our great party with such a glorious legacy — the Indian National Congress. I am confident that our organisation will be rejuvenated,” Gandhi said in her message.

    She also described the occasion as a “transformational moment in Indian politics”.

    Gandhi congratulated the 120-odd party colleagues who will complete the entire “padyatra” and said there will be hundreds and thousands of others who will join the march in different states.

    “I extend my greetings to them as well,” she said.

    “Speaking for myself, I will be participating in the Bharat Jodo Yatra daily in thought and spirit. I will, of course, be seeing the yatra live as it progresses. So, let us move forward united and firm in our resolve,” the Congress president said.

    The occasion also saw the handing over of the national flag to officially mark the start of the “padayatra”, which the Congress has described as the longest ever undertaken by any political party in independent India.

    Senior Congress leader and prominent G-23 member Anand Sharma on Wednesday conveyed his best wishes to former party president Rahul Gandhi for its ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, saying it seeks to uphold India’s inclusive democracy and strengthen unity.

    Sharma is among the G-23 leaders who had sought an organisational overhaul and elections at all levels, in a letter to the Congress president in August 2020.

    The former Union minister said he was looking forward to joining the over 3,500-km yatra when it reaches near his home state Himachal Pradesh, which will go to polls later this year.

    “Expressing my solidarity and conveying best wishes to Rahul Gandhi and all Yatris. Bharat Jodo yatra is a mission to uphold India’s inclusive democracy, to mobilise people against injustice, inequality and intolerance.

    Also a commitment to strengthen national unity,” he said on Twitter.

    “Looking forward to join the Yatra when it reaches near my home state of Himachal enroute to Jammu-Kashmir,” he added.

    The Bharat Jodo Yatra is starting from Kanyakumari on Thursday morning and will end in Kashmir after traversing through 12 states and two Union territories in about five months.

    The Congress has described it as the longest ‘padyatra’ undertaken by any political party in the country.

    The party said it is a turning point in Indian politics and marks a “new beginning”.

    “September 7 2022. A day when India’s oldest political party will launch the longest padyatra ever undertaken. It is a sombre day, a day for quiet reflection and renewed resolve,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet.

    “This is a turning point in Indian politics. It marks a new beginning,” he said.

    With the launch of the yatra at a mega rally in Kanyakumari, the Congress is seeking to flag economic disparities, social polarisation and political centralisation, while attempting to make gains in what it often described as battle of ideologies.

    KANYAKUMARI: Bharat Jodo Yatra, launched by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, is the country’s second freedom struggle and it will go on till the divisive forces are defeated, Congress senior leader and former Union Minister P Chidambaram said.

    Lashing out at the BJP for criticising the nationwide yatra, he said the BJP would have no role in this second freedom struggle, which will see that party decimated.

    “I wish to tell those criticising our Bharat Jodo Yatra that you had no role in India’s freedom struggle during which Mahatma Gandhi gave the slogan: do or die. Now too, you will have no role. Our journey will not end till the divisive forces are defeated,” Chidambaram said addressing the rally near the Gandhi Mandapam here in the presence of Rahul Gandhi.

    The BJP leaders belittled the Congress yatra, as they apparently did not want the nation to remain united.

    “When we say let’s unite, they say divide,” he said indicating that the saffron party’s attempt to divide the nation will not fructify.

    Congress president Sonia Gandhi described the “Bharat Jodo Yatra” on Wednesday as a landmark occasion and hoped that the 3,500-km foot march would help rejuvenate the party.

    In her message read out at the rally in Kanyakumari, Gandhi said she would be participating in the yatra daily in thought and spirit.

    “In view of the medical check-ups that I am undergoing, I regret my inability to be with all of you in person this momentous evening to launch the historic Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.

    “This is a landmark occasion for our great party with such a glorious legacy — the Indian National Congress. I am confident that our organisation will be rejuvenated,” Gandhi said in her message.

    She also described the occasion as a “transformational moment in Indian politics”.

    Gandhi congratulated the 120-odd party colleagues who will complete the entire “padyatra” and said there will be hundreds and thousands of others who will join the march in different states.

    “I extend my greetings to them as well,” she said.

    “Speaking for myself, I will be participating in the Bharat Jodo Yatra daily in thought and spirit. I will, of course, be seeing the yatra live as it progresses. So, let us move forward united and firm in our resolve,” the Congress president said.

    The occasion also saw the handing over of the national flag to officially mark the start of the “padayatra”, which the Congress has described as the longest ever undertaken by any political party in independent India.

    Senior Congress leader and prominent G-23 member Anand Sharma on Wednesday conveyed his best wishes to former party president Rahul Gandhi for its ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, saying it seeks to uphold India’s inclusive democracy and strengthen unity.

    Sharma is among the G-23 leaders who had sought an organisational overhaul and elections at all levels, in a letter to the Congress president in August 2020.

    The former Union minister said he was looking forward to joining the over 3,500-km yatra when it reaches near his home state Himachal Pradesh, which will go to polls later this year.

    “Expressing my solidarity and conveying best wishes to Rahul Gandhi and all Yatris. Bharat Jodo yatra is a mission to uphold India’s inclusive democracy, to mobilise people against injustice, inequality and intolerance.

    Also a commitment to strengthen national unity,” he said on Twitter.

    “Looking forward to join the Yatra when it reaches near my home state of Himachal enroute to Jammu-Kashmir,” he added.

    The Bharat Jodo Yatra is starting from Kanyakumari on Thursday morning and will end in Kashmir after traversing through 12 states and two Union territories in about five months.

    The Congress has described it as the longest ‘padyatra’ undertaken by any political party in the country.

    The party said it is a turning point in Indian politics and marks a “new beginning”.

    “September 7 2022. A day when India’s oldest political party will launch the longest padyatra ever undertaken. It is a sombre day, a day for quiet reflection and renewed resolve,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet.

    “This is a turning point in Indian politics. It marks a new beginning,” he said.

    With the launch of the yatra at a mega rally in Kanyakumari, the Congress is seeking to flag economic disparities, social polarisation and political centralisation, while attempting to make gains in what it often described as battle of ideologies.

  • Unemployment situation extreme: Chidambaram on IAF receiving 7.5 lakh applications under Agnipath 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Contending that the Indian Air Force receiving 7.5 lakh applications under the Agnipath scheme was not indicative of its popularity, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday said the “right conclusion” to be drawn from it is that the unemployment situation is so extreme that desperate youths are willing to take any job.

    The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday said it has received 7.5 lakh applications under the short-term military recruitment scheme Agnipath. The registration process under the scheme began on June 24 and ended on Tuesday.

    “Fact: 7,50,000 applicants for 3000 posts in IAF under the Agniveer scheme. Wrong conclusion: the Agniveer scheme is popular among the youth. Right conclusion: the unemployment situation is so extreme that desperate youth are willing to take any job,” Chidambaram said in a tweet.

    After the scheme was unveiled on June 14, violent protests against it rocked several states for nearly a week and various opposition parties demanded its withdrawal.

    Under the Agnipath scheme, those aged between 17-and-a-half and 21 years will be inducted into the armed forces for a four-year tenure and 25 per cent of them will be inducted for regular service subsequently.

    The government had, on June 16, increased the upper-age limit for recruitment under the scheme to 23 years from 21 for the year 2022 and subsequently, announced a slew of placatory steps such as a preference for “Agniveers” in central paramilitary forces and defence public sector undertakings on their retirement.

  • Status of places of worship should not be changed, will lead to conflict: Congress on Gyanvapi Masjid

    By PTI

    UDAIPUR: No attempt should be made to change the status of any place of worship as it would lead to huge conflict, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said on Saturday.

    It is to avoid such conflict that the Narasimha Rao government had passed the Places of Worship Act, he added.

    His remarks came a day after the Supreme Court refused to stay the inspection of the Kashi Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi.

    Chidambaram said the Places of Worship Act was passed after deep consideration and the only exception in that act was to the Ram Janmabhoomi.

    “We believe that all other places of worship should remain in the status they are and they were. We should not make an attempt to change the status of any place of worship, that will only lead to huge conflict and it is to avoid such conflict that the Narasimha Rao government passed the Places of Worship act,” he told reporters.

    The top court has agreed to consider listing the plea of a Muslim party against the survey of the Gyanvapi premises.

    A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices J K Maheswari and Hima Kohli was told by senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for the Muslim side in the Gyanvapi mosque case, that the plea has been filed against the survey being conducted at the Varanasi site.

    “We have filed in relation to a survey which has been directed to be conducted in relation to the Varanasi property. This (Gyanvapi) has been a mosque since time immemorial and this is clearly interdicted by the Places of Worship Act,” Ahmadi said on Friday.

    He said the direction to conduct a survey has been passed and an order of status quo be passed at the moment Varanasi’s fast track court headed by a civil judge (senior division) had on April 8, 2021 directed the Archaeological Survey of India to conduct a survey of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi Mosque complex and ascertain if a temple was demolished to build the mosque that stands adjacent to the temple.

    The Allahabad High Court, however, stayed the Varanasi court’s order on petitions by Anjuman Intazamia Masjid and the Sunni Central Waqf Board.

  • Government ‘totally unprepared’ to tackle coal-rail-power crisis: Chidambaram 

    He also said the ministries of coal, railway and power are desperately inventing excuses to hide their “monumental incompetence”.

  • Goa polls: Congress assures state’s economic revival as it hits out at Trinamool, AAP

    By PTI

    PANAJI: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday said if her party comes to power in Goa after the upcoming elections, Rs 500 crore from the government fund would be allocated for employment generation and there would be 30 per cent reservation for women in government jobs.

    Addressing a public meeting in Nuvem Assembly constituency of Goa ahead of the state polls scheduled on February 14, Gandhi also said that a staff selection commission would be formed to get rid of “scams” in government jobs allocation.

    Referring to the Congress’ manifesto released on Sunday for the Goa polls, Gandhi assured 30 per cent reservation for women in the state government jobs.

    She also said Rs 500 crore from the government fund would be allocated for the creation of jobs.

    Under the Nyay scheme, families from weaker sections will be given Rs 6,000 per month which will help them sustain and also inject money into the economy, she said.

    The Congress has assured to build hostels for working women in Margao and Panaji and increase the number of police stations supervised by women.

    The party has also announced that the prices of petrol and diesel would not be allowed to rise above Rs 80 per litre, and the party government will subsidise the remaining amount.

    Notably, the Congress had emerged as the single largest party in the 40-member Goa Assembly after the 2017 state polls, but the BJP then forged an alliance with some regional outfits and independents to form government.

    Referring to the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, Priyanka Gandhi reiterated that the Congress would give 40 per cent of its tickets to women in UP.

    “You know that I have been working very hard to bring women into the political process. In Uttar Pradesh, we have said that 40 per cent of the women will fight the elections. There are two-three reasons were are doing this. Women comprise 50 per cent of the population, so it is their right to have 50 per cent representation,” she said.

    Gandhi said this is not something being done as a favour (giving representation to women).

    “It is our right. We have to fight for our right,” she said.

    “More than that, I feel politics today is filled with hatred, anger. You hear speeches, 90 per cent of them are negative. There is no positivity in it. I firmly believe that we women being practical people, we can bring positivity and compassion in politics as well. Women should be helped to stand on their feet,” she said.

    A week before Goa goes to polls and multi-cornered contests shaping up, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Monday termed the Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as the parties of defectors.

    He also said that both these parties lacked a winning potential but they are dividing non-BJP votes.

    Addressing a public meeting at the Nuvem assembly constituency, he said that voters should not waste their votes by supporting the AAP or the TMC rather they should choose the NOTA (None of The Above) option.

    “These parties have suddenly descended on in Goa. They have no roots. Is there any grassroots worker that has risen from the ranks of the AAP and TMC?” he questioned.

    Later, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also attended the public meeting in Nuvem in south Goa.

    “Both AAP and TMC are parties of defectors. They have allowed the entry of defectors from other parties and fielded them as candidates,” he said.

    The TMC and the AAP cannot win a sufficient number of seats to form a government in Goa, he said.

    “What are they doing here? The plain and blunt truth is that they are dividing non-BJP votes. They are cutting into non-BJP votes,” he added.

    The TMC, led by Mamata Banerjee, had earlier proposed an alliance of Congress and other parties to take on the ruling BJP in Goa polls.

    Last month, Chidambaram had said that the TMC’s proposal for alliance in Goa was not considered as it poached Congress leaders.

    Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP has also been trying to make inroads in Goa.

    Chidambaram on Monday also took a swipe at the TMC which had announced that a Rs 20 lakh loan will be provided sans collateral at a four per cent interest rate if it comes to power in Goa.

    “I challenge any TMC leader to show me one banker who will land you money without collateral and at four per cent interest amount,” the former Union finance minister, who is handling Congress’ election affairs in Goa, said.

    He also questioned the AAP’s promise to give a Rs 3,000 monthly allowance for unemployed youth in Goa.

    “Why the Arvind Kejriwal-led party is not extending the same benefits to people in Delhi?” he asked.

    “Should the BJP government come to power for another term of five years or should it be replaced by another Congress? This is the only question that you have to answer on St Valentine’s Day, February 14,” Chidambaram said.

    He said Goa is witnessing a wave of change to replace BJP.

    “A wave is sweeping across Goa which says that a period of 10 years is enough for the BJP and we have to replace it with another government,” the Congress veteran said.

    In the 2017 Assembly polls held in Goa, Congress won the maximum 17 of the 40 seats restricting the BJP at 13.

    However, BJP joined hands with regional allies to form a government under Manohar Parrikar (now deceased).

    The number of Congress MLAs reduced to just two over the last five years as the bulk of its leaders have switched to other parties with at least two moving to TMC.

    The Congress has already announced its pre-poll alliance with the GFP, while the TMC has a tie-up with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP).

  • Ahead of Goa polls, Congress promises law protecting land rights of locals

    By PTI

    PANAJI: The Congress will enact a law providing protection to the land rights of locals, if the party is voted to power in Goa, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has said.

    The Congress will also restart the iron ore mining industry in Goa by legal methods, Chidambaram said addressing the party workers on Saturday in Valpoi Assembly constituency, currently represented by state Health Minister and BJP leader Vishwajit Rane.

    Chidamdaram is the Congress’ senior election observer for the Goa Assembly polls due early next year.

    “I know the land laws across the country. There is a scope for making a law in Goa,” Chidambaram said, referring to various protests by locals, specially the tribals, to safeguard their land rights.

    He said the “Congress will make a law” conferring tenancy rights and protecting the tenants in respect of the land in their possession.

    “It is called the Protection of Tenancy Rights Act. The tenant can cultivate the land and after him, his family can continue cultivating it. Such a law is existing in India, such a law would be implemented in Goa,” he said.

    On the issue of mining, which used to be a major source of revenue for Goa and is stalled in the state since 2018 after a Supreme Court order, Chidambaram said there is a legal way to restart mining.

    “Once the Congress government is formed, the mining will be restarted in a legal way,” he said without elaborating.

    Chidambaram also said the Congress’s candidate for the Assembly poll from Valpoi constituency would be from among those recommended by the party’s block unit.

    “The block Congress will be consulted about the candidate, and no decision will be taken without consulting the block. You have recommended four names and the candidate will be selected from amongst those four,” he said.

    In the 2017 Goa Assembly polls, the Congress emerged as the single largest party by winning 17 seats in the 40-member House.

    But, the BJP at that time forged an alliance with some regional outfits and independent legislators to form government.

    The Congress currently has only four legislators in the state.

  • Long live ‘debate-less’ parliamentary democracy: Chidambaram, Omar’s dig at government

    The farm bills were passed without a debate when the two sides did not agree and they were repealed without a debate when the two sides agreed, Chidambaram said.

  • Aircel-Maxis: Delhi court reserves order on cognizance of charge sheets against Chidambaram, son

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: A Delhi Court on Monday said it will pass order on November 27 on whether to take cognizance of the charge sheets filed by the CBI and ED in the Aircel Maxis case against former Union minister P Chidambaram, his son Karti and others.

    Special Judge M K Nagpal reserved order after both the agencies filed their replies sought by the court regarding certain queries in the corruption and money laundering cases probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate respectively.

    “Some clarifications sought by the court have been furnished today. Let the matter be listed for consideration/orders on the point of cognizance on November 27,” the judge said.

    While ED was represented by Special Public Prosecutor N K Matta, advocate Noor Rampal appeared for the CBI.

    The probe agencies had earlier informed the court that agencies had sent Letters Rogatory (LRs) to United Kingdom and Singapore seeking certain information regarding the probe and there were some developments in that regard.

    An LR is a formal request from one court to a foreign court requesting judicial assistance.

    The case relates to alleged irregularities in the grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board approval in the Aircel-Maxis deal.

    The approval was granted in 2006 when Chidambaram was the Union Finance Minister.

    The CBI and the ED have alleged that Chidambaram had granted approval to the deal beyond his capacity benefiting certain persons and received kickbacks.