Picture abhi baki hai: PM Narendra Modi’s message on corruption nudges P Chidambaram

Hindustan Times
Ranchi, Sep 12: In a veiled dig at senior Congress leader and former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, PM Narendra Modi today said that his government had pledged to jail corrupts and some are already in, adding that “picture abhi baaki hai (full film is yet to come) and the work done by his government in 100 days is just a trailer.
“Our fight is against corruption and those indulge in such activities. In 100 days we took decisions against such persons. Some of them have been sent to jail,” PM Modi said at a public meeting in Jharkhand, adding that the focus of his government is to end corruption.
“A massive crackdown on corruption has begun. Those people who will try to loot the public will be shown their right places,” he said.
Chidambaram was arrested in connection with the INX Media case on August 21 by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from his New Delhi residence. The case of corruption is linked to government approval of foreign investment in INX Media Private Limited in 2007, when Chidambaram was finance minister in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. Last week, he was sent to Tihar Jail for 14-day judicial custody in INX Media case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Both P Chidambaram and his son Karti have strongly denied all the allegations and said they were motivated by “political vendetta” by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.
The Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, country’s main anti corruption and anti-money laundering agencies, have arrested and raided several top political leaders in the last three months since the Modi government came back to the power with a thumping majority for a second term.
The Opposition parties have accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using the investigating agencies to intimidate their leaders or divert the attention of people from real issues. The latest arrest in the series is that of Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar, who is known as a troubleshooter for the party in the state.
PM Modi, recalling his promises made during Lok Sabha elections of providing “Kamdaar (workaholic) and “Damdaar” (strong) government, said: “Our priority is to provide water to every households in the country. Our priority is to protect rights of Muslim women for which we made law. We took decisions in first 100 days and made new law to make anti-terrorist law more stringent. Our aim is to give new heights to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh for which we took decision.”