PC bypassed me in Ishrat affidavit, says ex-home secy

 Former home secretary G K Pillai openly took on former home minister P Chidambaram, claiming that he “bypassed” him and tweaked an affidavit before submitting it in the Ishrat Jahan “encounter” case to a court.

The  September 30, 2009, affidavit filed at “Chidambaram level” contradicted the previous testimony filed by then under secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs R V S Mani a month earlier, stating that a student, Jahan, was a Lashkar-e-Toiba operative and there was no need for a CBI inquiry into the 2004 “encounter” to avert an attempt on Narendra Modi, the then chief minister of Gujarat. 

“Chidambaram called a lower functionary in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and totally rewrote the affidavit. The draft was dictated by him so no one else could say anything. He shouldn’t say that the IB and home secretary were on board,” Pillai told news channels. 

The former IAS officer’s response came after Chidambaram defended his decision by arguing that the tailored affidavit was “absolutely correct” and “as a minister I accept full responsibility for the affidavit and it is disappointing that the former home secretary who is equally responsible wants to distance himself.”

Pillai, who opened up publicly after years on the controversial case, took Chidambaram’s name.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Income Tax department are also probing Chidambaram’s role as finance minister in the Aircel-Maxis deal and had raided his son Karti’s firms and claims to have come across damaging evidence.

The AIADMK tried to make a political capital out of the fresh revelation on Chidambaram and his son by seeking action against the father-son duo in Parliament on Tuesday.

The government, too, is open to having a discussion in Parliament on Chidambaram and charges of irregularities in his family business if the AIADMK gives a notice, said the BJP floor managers.