Arrested by the CBI in the INX Media case amid high drama and frenzy Wednesday night, former union minister and senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram is the big newsmaker of this week.
For the suave politician – who was arguably the most powerful minister in the UPA government and who held more sway than most of his colleagues put together – the chase-and-arrest by the CBI would have felt like being plunged into the darkest abyss of his public life.
Political trajectory
The 73-year-old politician from Tamil Nadu began his career with the Congress, and soon became a Gandhi-family loyalist. In 1984, when Rajiv Gandhi came to power with a resounding mandate following former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination, Chidambaram won his first Lok Sabha election from Sivaganga and went on to become a junior minister in the government.
Chidambaram’s bond with the Congress was not always enduring – in 1996, he quit the party briefly to join the Tamil Maanila Congress following a disagreement over the issue of political alliances.
That interim period was a ‘dream’ phase in Chidambaram’s career. In 1997, he presented what came to be known as the ‘dream budget’ for the coalition government led by then-Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. The budget, which announced bold reforms, drew the attention of even his detractors towards his acumen and abilities as a finance minister.
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UPA’s most powerful minister
When he re-joined the Congress, these very qualities made him perhaps the most powerful minister in the UPA government, from 2004 to 2014. Chidambaram held crucial portfolios – finance, home and then finance again – in that decade.
As the finance minister in the early years of the UPA 1 government, Chidambaram had to perform the delicate act of balancing the Left bloc’s (a key ally) economic outlook with the need for market reform. His Rs 60,000-crore farm loan waiver in the 2008 Budget was among the bouquet of welfare initiatives that is believed to have helped the UPA return to power with a bigger mandate in the 2009 elections.
Chidambaram’s razor-sharp mind, legal acumen and political astuteness ensured he emerged as the most indispensable troubleshooter for the Congress, especially after veteran leader Pranab Mukherjee became the President of India.
His aura and power, however, came with a dash of arrogance – with several of his colleagues as well as the media turning resentful of his disposition.
Among the most controversial aspects of Chidambaram’s political journey was his election from Sivaganga in 2009, with many questioning the genuineness of the victory.
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The Shah-Chidambaram clash
Chidambaram was at the helm of the home ministry in 2010 when now Home Minister Amit Shah was arrested in the Sohrabuddin ‘encounter’ case. This also led to Shah being barred from entering Gujarat for two years.
Now with Shah as the Home Minister, the tables have turned and the once-super powerful and influential Chidambaram finds himself in the CBI’s net. To nobody’s surprise, his party is now accusing the Modi government of misusing the investigative agency, much like the BJP had done when Shah was sent behind bars.
Ironically, Chidambaram has been kept in the lock-up at the CBI headquarters, whose inauguration he attended as the home minister in 2011. Used to the comforts of his plush Jor Bagh residence, the former union minister’s immediate concerns while in custody are – a clean, rat-free space and hygienic food.
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