Chennai: The ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday asked beleaugered Congress leader P Chidambaram to "face" the INX Media money laundering case and not "run away", comments that came on a day when the ED issued a fresh lookout circular against the former Union Minister.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had issued the fresh notice against Chidambaram, which has been sent to all land, air and seaports and the law enforcement agencies at these facilities. The notice had said the ED should be alerted in case the person is found on their premises.
Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister and senior AIADMK leader D Jayakumar said the central agencies-- CBI and ED--were acting against Chidambaram following a "court decision," apparently referring to the Delhi High Court denying the Congress veteran anticipatory bail in the case on Tuesday.
"The court itself has said he is the kingpin (in the money laundering case)...any case has to be faced, there is no point running away," he said, in an apparent reference to the whereabouts of the former Union Minister allegedly not being known.
"It will be good for him to face the case," Jayakumar added. AIADMK ally DMDK, led by actor-turned-politician Vijayakant said that anyone who has committed corruption should face punishment. Vijayakant's wife and DMDK Treasurer Premalatha said that nobody, "even the Prime Minister or Chief Minister" can be an exception to this.
"Whoever indulges in corruption has to undergo punishment," she told reporters here. Though Chidambaram, who hailed from Tamil Nadu, had earlier been a Union Finance Minister for long, "can anyone show one big scheme brought by him" to the state? she asked.
BJP state unit president Tamilisai Soundararajan also asked what stopped Chidambaram from facing the probe if he had not committed any wrongdoing. Referring to the developments surrounding Chidambaram, she said that probity was the key in public life. "If one has no probity in public life, one has to face such cases," she said in a statement. The law was common for all, she added.
