Opposition clamours for Chidambaram's resignation for ‘favouring former client'

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram faced Opposition ire in Parliament on Thursday, as it demanded his resignation in the wake of allegations, as reported in the media, that he helped a Delhi-based hotelier who was once his client.

In the Lok Sabha, noisy scenes were witnessed during Zero Hour with the BJP and the AIADMK members trooping into the well demanding his dismissal. As the House was drowned in the din, it was adjourned till 2 p.m. But similar uproar continued when it reassembled, leading to an adjournment for the day.

In the Rajya Sabha too, BJP members waved copies of The Pioneer which carried a report alleging that the Home Ministry directed the withdrawal of FIRs earlier this year against the hotelier who was charged with cheating and forgery. The Upper House was adjourned briefly. Mr. Chidambaram, who is already facing a boycott by the NDA, was not present in either of the Houses when the issue was raised by the Opposition.

As the government mounted a damage control exercise, Delhi's Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna later in the day revoked the withdrawal of prosecution against S. P. Gupta, owner of the five-star Metropolitan Hotel in the heart of the Capital and Sunair Hotels.

Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh told reporters that Mr. Chidambaram had no role in the controversy. He claimed that the draft of a letter sent by the Home Ministry to the Delhi government for withdrawal of the FIRs had not been shown to the Home Minister, the Home Secretary or the Joint Secretary concerned.

The three FIRs accuse Mr. Gupta of misusing the names of the late Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, and Congress president Sonia Gandhi and defrauding a firm — VLS Finance — of several crores of rupees.

In a statement, the Home Ministry said: “The Home Minister is unable to recall at this distance of time whether he appeared in a case concerning M/s Sunair Hotels Private Limited at any time between 1999 and 2003.”

The Home Ministry had never said that the case should be withdrawn, Mr. Singh said. “The Home Minister categorically wrote on the file that only the advice of the law should be forwarded to the Delhi government and no advice should be given from the Home Ministry. There was no question of conflict of interest.''

He explained that the issue came up before the Ministry when it received a petition from Mr. Gupta stating that a civil matter was being made out to be a criminal matter.