PM showers praise on Chidambaram

  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday showered praise on Home Minister P. Chidambaram, who is in the line of opposition fire, saying he derived “immense” support from his “enlightened leadership.”

“Since 2004, I have been deriving immense support from his enlightened leadership as Finance Minister and then as Home Minister. Whatever task is given to him, he performs with super aplomb,” Dr. Singh said at a function here in Chidambaram’s Sivaganga Lok Sabha constituency.

Dr. Singh’s remarks came against the backdrop of Mr. Chidambaram coming under opposition attack over his alleged role in 2G spectrum allocation scam and the charge of misuse of office in helping a Delhi-based hotelier.

“He and I have been colleagues since 1990s and worked hand in hand. I worked as Finance Minister when he worked as Commerce Minister then,” the Prime Minister said, referring to Chidambaram who was seated among the audience at a function in the Alagappa University.

Gunning for his resignation, BJP has been boycotting Chidambaram in Parliament heckling him whenever he rises to speak, with the party using his alleged misuse of office in helping a Delhi-based hotelier as a fresh ammunition against him.

The UPA Government and the Congress have rallied behind Chidambaram, rejecting the opposition charges and calls for his resignation.

With his engagements in Karaikudi, Dr. Singh wrapped up his two-day visit to Tamil Nadu over which the Mullaperiyar dam row between the state and Kerala cast its shadow.

Pak can’t deliver on terrorism: Chidambaram

 A woman lights candles to to pay tribute to the victims of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, to mark its 3rd anniversary, at CST railway station in Mumbai.Pakistan’s civilian government is unable to keep its promises on bringing the 26/11 terrorists to justice, as it is weak and unwilling to risk any confrontation with the army or ISI that are in control of security matters, Union home minister P Chidambaram said on the third anniversary of the Mumbai terror attack.

The attack was carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists trained in Pakistan.

The minister said that while he supported fruitful engagement with Pakistan on trade, visas and so on, “on matters concerning terror and those relating to India’s internal security”, he could not see any forward movement.

He pointed out that Pakistan has not acted against key 26/11 conspirators despite India providing information several times. Responding to news reports that LeT military commander Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi is using a phone while in Pakistani custody, Chidambaram said he was “not surprised that they are treating him with a lot of affection and generosity”.

He said that the idea of India and Pakistan jointly fighting terrorism did not have his support. “How can we share intelligence with a country that we know has state actors, non-state actors and rogue elements acting against India. I think any joint effort with Pakistan on the terror front is very far away until we have a government in that country that is in control and is willing to fight terrorism,”  Chidambaram told HT.

India and Pakistan had launched a joint anti-terrorism mechanism that met thrice between 2007 and 2008 with little success.
In the ill-fated Sharm El Sheikh joint statement, Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani had on July 16, 2009 agreed to “share real time credible and actionable information on any future terrorist threats”.

Talking about improving Indian capacity to tackle terror, the minister said “tardy decision-making and misplaced apprehensions” are holding up several initiatives. Chidamaram said apprehensions about surveillance is legitimate and can be addressed, but that should not lead to holding anti-terrorism measures.  The home minister said setting up of a National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) is “an idea that is long overdue”. The move has been delayed due to lack of consensus among members of the cabinet committee on security.