Imphal/New Delhi:

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh today blamed “some vested interests” for reigniting a new cycle of violence in the state, after having been relatively peaceful for three-four months, and criticised Congress leader P Chidambaram as someone who “created the present crisis”.

Mr Singh’s frontal attack came hours after Mr Chidambaram in a post on X suggested “the Meitei, the Kuki-Zo and the Naga can live together in one state only if they have genuine regional autonomy”, and blamed the Chief Minister for causing the crisis.

Mr Chidambaram, however, removed the post after Manipur Congress chief Keisham Meghachandra requested him to delete it , amid the volatile situation in Manipur.

“Please delete this post. Manipur is in turmoil (sic) situation. It is very sensitive,” Mr Meghachandra replied to Mr Chidambaram, a request that the Congress MP seemed to have accepted as the post no longer remained on his timeline.

Mr Chidambaram’s comment is his personal observation and does not reflect the stand of the party, Congress leader and former Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh told reporters in Imphal today.

Shri Okram Ibobi, CLP leader along with other party leaders, spoke to the press today in Imphal to clarify the position of the party on the issue of regional autonomy. pic.twitter.com/0N8bytgvCI

— A. Bimol Akoijam (@Bimol_Akoijam) November 19, 2024

While the valley-dominant Meitei community has been seeking protection of Manipur’s territorial integrity, the Kuki tribes want a ‘separate administration’ comprising a large part of the hill areas in southern Manipur which shares a border with Myanmar (and some areas in the north), and the Nagas have had ambitions earlier to be united with all Naga-inhabited areas in the northeast region. The Kuki tribes share ethnic ties with people in Myanmar’s Chin State and Mizoram – both Manipur’s neighbours.

The Chief Minister, who has been battling ethnic fires in a fresh cycle of violence that broke out in the state’s Jiribam district that has so claimed over 19 lives including women and children, took strong exception to Mr Chidambaram’s swipe.

Mr Chidambaram was the Union Home Minister under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2008 when he steered the highly controversial tripartite suspension of operations (SoO) agreement between over a dozen Kuki-Zo militant groups on one side and the Centre and the state government on the other, the Chief Minister told news agency ANI in the state capital Imphal on Tuesday. The Congress was also in power in Manipur at that time.

“I will say it openly. When he (Mr Chidambaram) was the (Union) Home Minister in the then Congress government, here in Manipur (Congress’s) O Ibobi was the Chief Minister. During their time, they brought a Myanmarese foreigner, Mr Thanglianpau Guite, a Myanmar-born who himself admitted in an interview that he contested an election for MP in Myanmar. That person is the chairman of the Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA) based in Myanmar,” Mr Singh said.

“I am surprised how Mr Chidambaram – there is a photograph, there is Chidambaram, then Union Home Minister, and here is Thanglianpau Guite, the chairman of the Zomi Revolutionary Army, who is from Myanmar – they never cared about people from the northeast, about indigenous people,” Mr Singh said, holding up an enlarged photo with a red circle on who Mr Singh said was Thanglianpau Guite seen shaking hands with Mr Chidambaram in a black suit.

“The present crisis is not an ethnic conflict. It is a problem of illegal immigration from Myanmar with drugs and them trying to control the indigenous people of Manipur, and in the entire northeast. I find it funny to see his (Mr Chidambaram’s) comment. I want to remind him, with these photographs, why he allowed these foreigners to enter India, to enter Manipur and even sign suspension of operations agreement with underground groups of illegal immigrants,” the Chief Minister said.

“He (Mr Chidambaram) and the Congress created the crisis. What we are facing today in Manipur is their creation. They cannot wash off their hands easily. People do understand, whatever is happening in Manipur is a chronic problem created by Congress and Chidambaram himself. Here are the photographs,” Mr Singh said, adding allegations and propaganda by national leaders should stop.

“I want to appeal to him, do not play more destructive games to destabilise Manipur and the entire northeast. Congress leaders should look at themselves that happened in Manipur during their time. How many were killed in fake encounters? There are 1,500 cases of Manipur fake encounter cases in the Supreme Court… Chidambaram himself came, gave recognition to a foreigner and signed the SoO agreement. You started the work of bringing illegal immigrants from Myanmar. You cannot escape,” Mr Singh said.

Those who have been tracking the Manipur ethnic violence say the SoO agreement is at the heart of the current crisis, apart from frictions over sharing land and resources, and tussle over political representation.

Ibobi Singh, the former Manipur Chief Minister, in the state assembly on March 1 admitted that the Assam Rifles and Kuki-Zo insurgent groups signed an agreement in 2005 – without informing the state government.

“The two signed the agreement without the knowledge of the Manipur government. The police continued to arrest the insurgents, and in 2008 the formal SoO with the state government’s participation was signed,” Ibobi Singh told the assembly. The state government discovered the existence of the 2005 “ceasefire” agreement when, during police operations against Kuki-Zo insurgents, the state forces were often requested to stand down, he said.

READ | End Ceasefire With All Kuki-Zo Insurgent Groups: Manipur Assembly Unanimous Resolution

The Manipur assembly on February 29 unanimously passed a resolution asking the Centre to scrap the SoO agreement with some 25 Kuki-Zo insurgent groups. The deadline for extension of the SoO agreement ended the same day. Whether the SoO agreement has been renewed is not known. The deaths of 10 “militants” in Manipur’s Jiribam in an encounter with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) may give some clues.

Broadly, the SoO agreement says the insurgents are to stay at designated camps and their weapons kept in locked storage, to be monitored regularly.

The over two dozen Kuki-Zo insurgent groups come under two umbrella groups – the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), and the United People’s Front (UPF). These two representing the others have signed the SoO agreement.

Meitei leaders have alleged the SoO groups have been working to strengthen themselves over the years by taking advantage of the ceasefire, until a time came to engineer a violent attack for a separate land. Geopolitical analysts have speculated the Kuki armed groups were used as mercenaries to fight Meitei and Naga militants operating in the India-Myanmar border.

While the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) has been in talks with the Centre for over two decades, only one Meitei militant group faction has agreed to sign a deal with the Centre i.e. the United National Liberation Front (Pambei), or UNLF(P).

At least eight Meitei militant groups that are fighting to break away from India are in the Centre’s banned organisations’ list.

The only time any authority in Manipur admitted to the involvement of insurgent groups of both the Meitei community and the Kuki tribes was on September 9, after five bodies were found following a fierce gunfight. Three of the bodies were confirmed as Kuki insurgents from Churachandpur district; the fourth was identified as a Kuki volunteer from Jiribam; the fifth was identified as a member of the Meitei insurgent group United National Liberation Front (Pambei), or UNLF(P), the police had said in a statement.

The three Kuki insurgents were members of the Kuki Liberation Army (KLA), a signatory of the SoO agreement. The UNLF(P), too, had signed a ceasefire deal with the Centre and the state government. The UNLF is the oldest Meitei insurgent group, which later broke up into two factions; the Pambei faction signed a tripartite peace agreement with the Centre and the state government in November 2023.

Kuki leaders have alleged the Manipur Chief Minister is responsible for starting violence with his rhetoric on illegal immigrants and poppy cultivation. A purported leaked tape of Mr Singh, submitted to a Home Ministry inquiry committee by some witnesses, which allegedly proved his direct role in the violence, will be taken up by the Supreme Court in the next hearing on November 25. In the last hearing, the Supreme Court told the petitioner to bring the material for checking.

There are many villages of the Kuki tribes in the hills surrounding the Meitei-dominated valley. The clashes between the Meitei community and the nearly two dozen tribes known as Kukis – a term given by the British in colonial times – who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, has killed over 220 people and internally displaced nearly 50,000.

The general category Meiteis want to be included under the Scheduled Tribes category, while the Kukis who share ethnic ties with people in neighbouring Myanmar’s Chin State and Mizoram want a separate administration carved out of Manipur, citing discrimination and unequal share of resources and power with the Meiteis.

Mumbai:

Reeling off numbers, veteran Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday aimed to puncture the ruling Maharashtra coalition’s claim that the financial capital of the country remains the foremost destination for attracting highest number of investments.

“We can’t look at one parameter and say Maharashtra is doing well. It is a number of parameters over a period of time to decide whether the state is growing or sliding. I have with me data which shows that the growth of the state GDP has declined from 2022-2023 to 2023-2024. Similarly, revenue deficit has ballooned, fiscal deficit has ballooned, agricultural growth, services sector growth, transport, trade, communications growth and construction growth have all fallen sharply as much as 3% to 7-8%,” the former Union Finance Minister, in Mumbai ahead of the state polls, told NDTV.

Maharashtra goes to polls on November 20. The votes will be counted on November 23.

“The GEP (Gross Ecosystem Product) itself has declined from 9.4% to 7.6%. If this is the path Maharashtra is economy is going in, how can you say that Maharashtra is growing economically,” Mr Chidambaram asked.

Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP) is an index that measures the economic value of nature’s contributions to human well-being. It is modeled after the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and is used to help achieve sustainable development by moving beyond conventional economic measures.

“We are only talking about economically. It is not growing. It is slipping and as a result of that there’s massive unemployment,” he said.

Asserting that talk of the state facing a “mountain of debt” was a myth, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Maharashtra’s economy is worth Rs 40 lakh crore, of which just Rs 6-6.5 lakh crore constitutes debt.

Asked about the ruling coalition and its $1 trillion economy promise for Maharashtra, Mr Chidambaram underlined that the important question to ask is “when”, adding that without a set timeframe it is a “meaningless statement”.

“$1 trillion is a goalpost. As meaningless as the Union of India’s goalpost of $5trillion. You will reach the goalpost whether there’s a government or not. Whether you grow at 3% or 5% or 8% or 10%. If you grow, you will reach the goalpost,” said the 79-year-old Congress leader.

Elaborating on it, the Congress leader said if you go from Mumbai to Pune, you will reach Pune whether you fly or drive or go in a bullock cart or go on a cycle or go walking. The point, said the Congress leader, is when.

“The central government has shifted the $5trillion goalpost 3-4 times. Now it is somewhere in 2026-2027 or 2027-2028. If anybody claims I will reach $1trllion, you must say when. They don’t say when. It’s like saying my child will grow to 3 feet. Every child will grow to 3 feet. My child will grow to 4 feet, of course a 3-foot high child will grow to 4 feet . It’s a meaningless statement,” said Mr Chidambaram.

On Friday, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw slammed the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, saying that it is an ‘aghadi’ that stops ‘vikas’ (development). He also claimed that only the BJP and Mahyuti government can make Maharashtra a one trillion-dollar economy.

New Delhi:

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram slammed Air India today, pointing to a delay in the Delhi-Chennai flight he was taking. Accusing the new management of incompetence in a post on X, formerly Twitter, he wrote: “I regret that there has been practically no improvement since the management changed hands from the government to the private sector”.

In his post, Mr Chidambaram said the passengers on flight AI 540 started boarding 10 minutes after the departure time. 

All passengers on flight AI 540 Delhi to Chennai are standing on the aero bridge for the last 15 minutes

We were cleared for boarding at the gate but were told to wait at the aircraft door

Passengers are just boarding 10 minutes AFTER departure time. No one knows when the…

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) November 5, 2024

They were cleared for boarding at the gate but were told to wait at the aircraft door and had to stand on the aero bridge for over 15 minutes.

“Passengers are just boarding 10 minutes AFTER departure time. No one knows when the flight will depart. I am a frequent traveler by Air India… I can list a number of aspects of flying that can be improved by a competent management. I think Air India lacks competent managers at different levels,”his post read. 
 

New Delhi:

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram – one of the was scathing in his attack on the Union budget today, questioning what data the BJP had to back their claims. Most of the claims made while presenting the budget, he said, were “as vague as vague can be”, and as example, cited the government’s scheme for jobs and apprenticeship for first-time workers.  

The government has promised to provide internships in top companies for the young people in the country and claimed that the scheme will benefit 210 lakh youths. It is meant for all persons entering the workforce in all sectors, Ms Sitharaman said while presenting Budget 2024 in parliament.

 “Our government will launch a scheme to provide internship opportunities in 500 top companies to one  crore youth. They will get exposure to business and employment opportunities. Internship allowance of Rs 5,000 per month and one-time assistance of Rs 6,000 will be provided. Companies will be expected to bear the expenses of the training cost and 10% of their internship cost from their CSR funds,” Ms Sitharaman while presenting the Union budget 2024-25 in the Lok Sabha earlier today.

Besides, the government has promised to pay a month’s salary to first-time workers across all sectors – Rs 15,000 in three tranches as Direct Benefit Transfer.

But Mr Chidambaram had more questions.

“How many companies have you contacted? What kind of companies are they? Are they large farms or MSMes? There is no indication… You must have done some studies before making these announcements,” he said.  

The government, he alleged, is just tossing figures — 210 lakh, 30 lakh, 50 lakh. “There is no basic data which shows how many enterprises, firms, industries and schemes have been brought in. There is no credible data,” he added.

While the Congress has accused the government of plagiarizing, pointing out that the scheme was part of their poll promise, Mr Chidambaram declared that he was “happy” about it.  

It is a good idea, irrespective of who came up with it, he said. Then, in a jab, added, “They realised why they suffered such a setback (in the Lok Sabha) election. Glad they recognised that they had to respond to the question of unemployment. Glad they realised that they took wrong decisions which have to be corrected”.

Chennai:

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday claimed that the Centre bypassed the Law Commission in enacting the three new criminal laws that came into effect from July 1.

The Law Commission, comprising of retired judges, legal experts, professors, and permanent legal staff, would normally hold consultations with bar council members, and advocate associations and prepare a draft to be presented in the Parliament, he said.

But the Law Commission was bypassed and five or six “part-timers” were appointed for a panel, he said on the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, replacing the British-era Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act.

“The laws were not referred to the Law Commission nor was it consulted. This is wrong,” Mr Chidambaram said while speaking at a protest organised here by the DMK advocate wing against the new laws.

“World over, the death penalty has been abolished. But, here solitary confinement was included as a punishment, which is an unusual and cruel punishment as per the Constitution,” he said.

Such a punishment was not prevailing anywhere in the world, the former Union Minister added.

“Similarly, life sentence and life sentence to the remainder of life have been included. What is the difference?” he asked.

Further, Mr Chidambram said that he has been insisting upon a debate on the new laws for several months but the government has not agreed it was not prepared for it.

He reiterated that 90-99 per cent of the new laws were cut, copy and paste work. The government could have instead brought a few amendments.

“I did not say there should be no reforms. … they should have brought an amendment. They changed only the section numbers. Advocates, judges and police should now read again,” the Congress leader said.

For instance, even a child or a newly recruited police constable would know that section 302 referred to murder but now this number has been changed, adding to the confusion, he claimed.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Former Union finance minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram welcomed the Supreme Court’s judgment pronouncing the arrest of the NewsClick founder invalid, saying that justice has triumphed.

“NewsClick founder was arrested on October 3, 2023. The Supreme Court ruled today that his arrest was illegal. Justice will ultimately triumph and it has today,” Mr Chidambaram said in a post on X on Wednesday.

“Who will be held responsible for the illegal arrest? Who will pay the penalty for depriving the journalist of his freedom for over 7 months?” the Congress leader asked in the post.

NewsClick founder was arrested on October 3, 2023. The Supreme Court ruled today that his arrest was illegal

Justice will ultimately triumph and it has today

Who will be held responsible for the illegal arrest?

Who will pay the penalty for depriving the journalist of his…

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) May 15, 2024

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court declared the arrest and subsequent remand of NewsClick founder and Editor-in-Chief Prabir Purkayastha invalid.

Mr Purkayastha was arrested by Delhi Police in connection with a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on October 3, 2023. The Supreme Court ordered that Mr Purkayastha be released, subject to him furnishing surety and bail bond.

The bench, in its verdict, took into account that a copy of the remand application and grounds of arrest were not provided to Mr Purkayastha, which violated principles of natural justice.

Pronouncing the verdict, the top court said, “A copy of the remand application was not provided to the appellant. This vitiates the arrest of the appellant…Though we would have released him without surety, since the chargesheet has been filed, we release him with surety and a bail bond.”

Mr Purkayastha has been in custody since October 3 last year under the UAPA in a case over receiving Chinese funds to propagate anti-national propaganda.

According to the FIR, a large amount of funding to the news portal allegedly came from China to “disrupt the sovereignty of India” and cause disaffection against the country.

The probe agency also alleged that Mr Purkayastha conspired with a group, – People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) – to sabotage the electoral process during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Hitting back at the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over their claims that his party intends to redistribute wealth and that even women’s ‘mangalsutras’ were under threat, Congress leader P Chidambaram has challenged them to show even one mention of any such promise in the manifesto. 

Mr Chidambaram also said such claims were possibly being made because his party’s manifesto was a well-considered one while the BJP’s was a document of cult worship. 

Speaking exclusively to NDTV on Wednesday, the head of Congress’ manifesto committee, said, “All that the BJP has been saying for the past three or four days, especially from the Prime Minister downwards, is absolute rubbish. Show me one word called redistribution anywhere in the manifesto, which runs to 45 pages. Show me the phrase ‘ redistribute the wealth’ anywhere. Unless they are reading a manifesto written by ghosts, hired by the BJP, in invisible ink; it’s not in our manifesto.”

To a question on Sam Pitroda, Chairman of the Overseas Congress, stirring up a controversy by terming the inheritance law in the US “interesting”, the former finance minister only said that it does not appear in the manifesto and that he himself had not spoken about it. 

‘Completely Imaginary’

On the PM’s claim that the Congress planned to give reservation to Muslims at the expense of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs, Mr Chidambaram said, “Where is that in the manifesto? All the statements made by the BJP leaders in the last four days are completely imaginary. They must show where this is in the manifesto. I have been challenging them publicly.”

The former finance minister asserted that the Congress has done its math and is confident that every promise made in its manifesto can be fulfilled over the term of a government.

“Last time, when we said we would waive agricultural loans, we were ridiculed and told that there is no money, but our government waived such loans to the tune of Rs 60,000 crore. When we started the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, we were again asked, ‘Where is the money?’, but we implemented it and the BJP has continued it. We found the money for it, and so has the BJP,” he said.

Emphasising that the Congress manifesto, which promises justice to different sections of society, is being talked about across the country, he said the BJP’s document is not even a manifesto but is called ‘Modi Ki Guarantee’.

“In fact, the entire document is cult worship. They have nothing comparable to our programme, our promises. Our manifesto has become the talking point throughout India. Unfortunately, the BJP’s ‘Modi Ki Guarantee’ vanished without a trace in about two hours. Therefore, they are inventing imaginary stories and attacking us,” he said. 
 

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala):

Former Union Minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram said today that if the INDIA bloc comes to power at the Centre, it would enact a special law to bring into effect the legal principle established by the Supreme Court that “bail is the rule, and jail is the exception”.

“We are also promising to bring a special law that would say, ‘Bail is the rule, jail is the exception’. it was a great son of Kerala, Justice Krishna who emphasised this law,” Mr Chidambaram said at a press conference here.

“This rule is rarely followed in the lower judiciary, magistrates, and district judges, ultimately, not everybody can go to the Supreme Court to get bail. 65 per cent of the prisoners are under trial; they are not convicts, so why are they in jail? 90 per cent of the undertrials are OBCs, SC and STs; therefore, we would bring a special law: ‘Bail is the rule, jail is the exception’ — everybody after the first 15 days of interrogation by police or the CBI must be granted bail,” he added.

Mr Chidambaram also said that if the INDIA bloc comes to power at the Centre, it will repeal the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the three criminal laws brought by the BJP government.

“We will repeal, amend and review the following sets of laws – CAA 2019 is at the top of the list. The Farmers Produce, Trade and Commerce Promotion of Facilitation Act 2020, the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita that is equivalent to the IPC, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita that is the CrPC and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Act that is the Evidence Act,” Mr Chidambaram said while responding to a question by ANI at a press conference here.

“These five will be totally repealed. Then we have eight laws that will be repealed and new laws will be made. Then we have 25 laws, which will be amended and brought on par with the Constitution. So we are absolutely clear that the Citizenship Amendment Act will be repealed,” said Mr Chidambaram, who served as Union Home Minister from 2008 till 2012 under the UPA government.

He also rejected the CPM leaders’ allegation that the Congress leaders were silent on CAA.

“Shashi Tharoor has widely spoken against the CAA and it was widely reported. Priyanka Gandhi said we oppose CAA,” Mr Chidambaram, the chairman of the Congress manifesto committee

Recently, in an election rally, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had alleged that Congress and Rahul Gandhi were silent on CAA, showing the “same mindset” as Sangh Parivar. He further alleged that Kerala unit of the Congress, which initially joined the Left front to oppose the CAA, withdrew on the directions of its national leadership.

The Congress manifesto for 2024 Lok Sabha election under the section, “REVERSING THE DAMAGE” says, “We promise that all anti-people laws passed by the BJP/NDA without proper parliamentary scrutiny and debate, especially those relating to workers, farmers, criminal justice, environment and forests and digital data protection, will be thoroughly reviewed and changed.”

The CAA enables citizenship to undocumented migrants belonging to six non-Muslim communities — Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2014 and reduces the period to qualify for citizenship from existing 11 years to five years.

New Delhi:

In a sharp response to Dr S Jaishankar’s remarks on the Katchatheevu island row, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram questioned why the foreign minister is “doing a somersault” on the issue. Mr Chidambaram also said that Dr Jaishankar’s journey from being a “suave liberal foreign service officer” to “a mouthpiece of the RSS-BJP” will be “recorded in the annals of acrobatic sports”.

The counter-strike came after Dr Jaishankar today doubled down on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charge at the Congress over the island row.

Quoting decades-old discussions in Parliament, the minister said the governments led by Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi were indifferent to the island.

It is true that Fishermen were detained in the last 50 years. Likewise, India has detained many SL fishermen

Every government has negotiated with Sri Lanka and freed our fishermen

This has happened when Mr Jaishankar was a foreign service officer and when he was Foreign…

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) April 1, 2024

The Katchatheevu island, he said, was a “nusiance” for Nehru. It was during the Indira Gandhi government’s tenure when India gave up fishing rights near the island, he said.

The matter has become a talking point following a media report based on an RTI reply received by Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai. Dr Jaishankar stressed that the matter has not emerged suddenly, saying that it is a “live issue”. He also said that the Congress and the DMK are approaching the matter as if they have responsibility.

The recurrent arrests of Indian fishermen by Sri Lanka is an issue that finds resonance among the people. With the elections near, the BJP wants to play up this matter as it pushes for a better show in the southern state. The Prime Minister has accused the Congress of “callously” giving away the island to Sri Lanka and said the DMK had done nothing to safeguard Tamil Nadu’s interests.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Mr Chidambaram said, “It is true that Fishermen were detained in the last 50 years. Likewise, India has detained many SL fishermen. Every government has negotiated with Sri Lanka and freed our fishermen. This has happened when Mr Jaishankar was a foreign service officer and when he was Foreign Secretary and when he is Foreign Minister.”

“What has changed for Mr Jaishankar to launch a tirade against the Congress and DMK? Were not fishermen detained by Sri Lanka when Mr Vajpayee was PM and BJP was in power and in alliance with different political parties of TN? Were not fishermen detained by Sri Lanka when Mr Modi was in power since 2014?” he added.

Tit for tat is old. Tweet for Tweet is the new weapon.

Will Foreign Minister Mr. Jaishankar please refer to the RTI reply dated 27-1-2015.

I believe that Mr Jaishankar was the FM on 27-1-2015.

The Reply justified the circumstances under which India acknowledged that a small…

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) April 1, 2024

The Congress leader said “tit for tat is old” and “tweet for tweet is the new weapon”.

“Will Foreign Minister Mr. Jaishankar please refer to the RTI reply dated 27-1-2015. I believe that Mr Jaishankar was the FM on 27-1-2015. The Reply justified the circumstances under which India acknowledged that a small island belonged to Sri Lanka. Why is the Foreign Minister and his ministry doing a somersault now?” asked Mr Chidambaram, a Tamil Nadu leader and former Home Minister. 

He then took a personal swipe at the External Affairs Minister. “How quickly can people change colours. From a suave liberal Foreign Service officer to a smart Foreign Secretary to a mouthpiece of the RSS-BJP, life and times of Mr Jaishankar will be recorded in the annals of acrobatic sports,” he said, referring to the minister, who went from being a diplomat to joining the government.

Mr Chidambaram said the pact between India and Sri Lanka helped Tamil refugees from the island come and settle in India. “Why did Indira Gandhi acknowledge that it belonged to Sri Lanka? Millions of Tamils, as many as 6 lakh Tamils, were suffering in Sri Lanka. They had to come to India as refugees and settle here. As a result of this settlement, 6 lakh Tamils came to India. They have lived in this country for the last 50 years, their families are here. They enjoy freedom,” he said.

The DMK, too, has hit out at the BJP over the issue. DMK’s A Saravanan said the External Affairs Minister has said nothing new. “The question is why the BJP is raking up this issue now. Because they are scared, they know they are going to lose this election and in Tamil Nadu, they are facing a rout. The Prime Minister cannot answer the question, why no flood relief for Tamil Nadu. He is now bringing up false bogeys,” he said.