Former Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi and his sister and party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday visited former Finance Minister P Chidambaram in Tihar jail, party leaders said. Director General Tihar Sandeep Goyal confirmed to IANS their visit to Jail No 7, where Chidambaram has been lodged since his arrest in the INX Media case.
The visit comes almost a month after Congress interim Chief Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met Chidambaram in the jail. According to party leaders, Chidambaram, who is suffering from multiple diseases, has lost over 10 kg weight in the last three months.
The court had allowed Chidambaram's request to have a separate cell, subject to availability, medicines and a western-style toilet. Considering the medical condition of Chidambaram, the court also allowed his request to have home-cooked food.
Chidambaram is being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with granting of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX Media while he was the Finance Minister. The former Union Minister was arrested on August 21 by the CBI and then sent to the judicial custody on September 5.
On October 16, while in judicial custody inside Tihar Jail, he was arrested under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the ED officials. On October 17, a Delhi Court remanded him to ED custody till October 24. The CBI opposed Chidambaram's bail plea in the INX Media corruption case, claiming that he had tried to "pressurise and influence" key witnesses.
(With inputs from IANS)