Much is being said about Mr.Chidambram and his alleged help to one S.P.Gupta – a hotelier and a former client of Mr.Chidambaram when he was a practising lawyer.
P.C.Chidambaram
While not going into the details of the allegations by BJP against Mr.Chidambaram, we think the issue involves two separate questions (and a few supplementary questions):
1. Did Mr.Chidambaram help or attempt to help Mr.Gupta? If he did, did he go out of the way to do that? Is it normal for the Home Minister to interfere in pending proceedings (at whatever stage) against any person? If Mr.Chidambaram did help Mr.Gupta, are there any valid, legal grounds for doing so?
2. Did Mr.Chidambaram’s alleged help to Mr.Gupta involve a conflict of interest?
We do not propose to answer the first set of questions here. But we do have a comment or two to make about the second.
With all due apologies to the vociferous leaders of the opposition parties, particularly the BJP with its nothing-to-write-home-about record in Karnataka, there is eminent sense in Mr.Chidambaram’s contention that Mr.Gupta is merely a former client and that no conflict of interest can be held against him (Mr.Chidambaram).
Mr.Gupta might be on familiar terms now with Mr.Chidambaram because of the former client-attorney relatonship; but that relationship itself is no longer current. Mr.Chidambaram is certainly not to be faulted for his understanding of the matter and we daresay the opposition parties are getting carried away by their perceptions. Yes, Mr.Chidambaram does know his law.
The opposition parties can very well probe and find out whether any favours have been extended to Mr.Gupta in relation to the criminal proceedings against him and whether the Home Minister can be blamed for any wrongdoing; but raising the bogey of ‘conflict of interest’ is pretty much ridiculous. Why don’t they think well before they speak out?
Parliament Building
It is also time to examine whether the opposition parties are right in disrupting the proceedings of the Parliament over every matter – minor or major. There must be a better way of handling the various issues than blocking the proceedings of parliament over extended periods of time. There is a corresponding duty on the part of the Government and the ruling party to address the issues raised by the opposition parties. We hope both the ruling party and the opposition realise their respective responsibilities and ensure that they do not make a mockery of our constitution and our democratic institutions.
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Tags: Conflict of Interest P.C.Chidambaram
