New Delhi: Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Wednesday defended former home minister P. Chidambaram in wake of the latest revelations made by former home secretary G.K. Pillai and former under secretary (Internal Security) R V S Mani in the Ishrat Jahan case, saying it is quite surprising that these people have attained knowledge post retirement.
“These are those people, who have attained knowledge post retirement. Do you (the media) know where Pillai Saheb ( G.K. Pillai) is working these days? He is working with Gautam bhai Adani,” Singh told the media here.
“Mani Sahab had made a statement in 2013 that the terror strike in the Parliament was the conspiracy of the BJP. These all are being done to target Chidambaram ji, who has always exposed them and highlighted their failures,” he added.
The Congress leader further said attempts are being made to shield BJP president Amit Shah, who was then the home minister of Gujarat, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trusted officers at that time.
In a revelation that has the potential to spark a fresh political row, Mani yesterday claimed that he did not draft the second affidavit and had been ordered to sign the file in the Ishrat Jahan case.
Mani has alleged that the changes in the second Ishrat Jahan affidavit ‘were made at the political level by the then UPA government’ and that he was ‘tortured’ to sign it.
His claims came days after the former home secretary alleged that Chidambaram as the country’s home minister during the UPA regime ‘bypassed him’ and rewrote an affidavit submitted to a court on Ishrat Jehan, the 19-year-old student killed in an encounter in 2004.
Chidambaram earlier on Monday said the revised affidavit was absolutely correct, adding he accepts full responsibility for the affidavit as a minister. (ANI)