CBI raids Chidambaram, Karti's homes: Here's why Congress leader is disliked within party's state unit, DMK

The CBI raids on P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram in connection with the FIPB (Foreign Investment Promotion Board) clearances accorded to Peter and Indrani Mukerjea-owned INX Media in 2007-08, has only put a smirk on the faces of most of his colleagues in the Congress party in Tamil Nadu.

While state Congress president S Thirunavukkarasu told Firstpost that the raids were “political vendetta by the BJP” and that the “BJP is exploiting a leadership vacuum in Tamil Nadu by carrying out such raids on AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) ministers and now the Congress,” the reaction from other party men was less than warm.

A senior Congress leader who hails from Tamil Nadu, when contacted, stated that he did not have anything to say on the subject. “Even if I say he is God, how does it matter? Will anybody believe me?” he asked. The mood is similar among other state-level leaders. “Vara vaendiyadhu dhaan (The raids were meant to happen),” said a Congress party worker who did not wish to be named.

Faction-Ridden Tamil Nadu Congress

It is only the clout with the Gandhis that has brought P Chidambaram so far, according to Congress workers in the state.

“From the beginning, he has been seen as an elite politician in the state and has not really involved himself with the masses,” said Aazhi Senthilnathan, political analyst. “The complaint against him is that while the Congress was in power, he would work but when the Congress was out of power, he would simply go on to his personal work and not involve himself in party work. That has been a big drawback for him,” he said. Senthilnathan added that the small activities that an elected representative usually indulges in – such as attending ear-piercing ceremonies in their constituency, marriage functions or funerals – these were outside of Chidambaram’s ambit, making him appear to be more of an elite than a mass leader.

There are, in fact, a number of factions within the fractured Tamil Nadu Congress unit. Thirunavukkarasu has his followers, his predecessor EVKS Elangovan has his, while others such as Peter Alphonse and MLA Vijayadharani have their own set of men. GK Vasan too had his clout until 2014 when he split to form the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC). These factions are unified in their dislike of Chidambaram. “He is a self-serving man,” confided one leader from the TMC.

Ally DMK’s Ire

A request for comment on the CBI raids on Chidambaram and son elicited a terse response from ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) working president MK Stalin. “Chidambaram will face this legally,” he said.

The DMK is furious with Chidambaram. In March 2014, towards the end of the UPA’s tenure, DMK chief M Karunanidhi’s wife Dayalu Ammal was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate to answer questions related to the money laundering charges on Kalaignar TV as part of the 2G case.

“At the end of his term, he prodded the ED to do this to us and dragged in Dayalu Ammal’s name needlessly despite knowing she is old and unwell,” said a senior DMK leader who did not wish to be named. “He did it deliberately.”

Dayalu Ammal is Stalin’s mother and was also a director in Kalaignar TV during the period in question.

The politician’s houses in Chennai, Delhi, Sivaganga and other locations have been raided in connection with the FIPB clearances for INX Media. A troubled-looking Karti, told reporters as he walked out of his house, “All these charges are baseless. I am being targetted politically and personally. I will give a detailed statement after the raids. Whatever has to be said, my father has spoken,” he stated.

Political analyst Aazhi Senthilnathan recalls a telling comment on the Chidambaram family that he once heard. “Patthu rooba sambaadhichu, anju rooba kuduttha avan nallavan-ya. Aana ivanga oru paisa kooda selavu panna maattaanga,” was the comment made by someone in Chidambaram’s constituency and hometown of Sivaganga, he laughed. What the voter told Senthilnathan was this – If he earns Rs 10 and spends Rs 5 on us, he would be called a good man. But they (Chidambaram family) will not spend even one paisa (on the people).”

That, in effect, sums up why nobody really loves Chidambaram.