Former Union Minister P. Chidambaram on May 10 said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is "absolutely correct" in seeking a probe into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's allegation about two industrialists sending money to the Congress.
In a post on X, the Congress leader said Mr. Modi's allegation about "tempo-filling quantities" of cash being delivered to the Congress by the industrialists should be "viewed with utmost seriousness".
"Rahul Gandhi is absolutely correct in demanding an enquiry into the Hon'ble Prime Minister's allegation. The Hon'ble Prime Minister had made a very serious allegation: that two prominent industrialists have tempo-filling quantities of cash and they were delivered to the Congress party," Mr. Chidambaram said.
"Coming from the Hon'ble Prime Minister, this allegation has to be viewed with utmost seriousness," he said.
Mr. Chidambaram, who served as Home Minister and Finance Minister in the past, said Mr. Gandhi's demand for an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is absolutely justified and accused the BJP of being silent on the issue.
"Rahul Gandhi has demanded an enquiry by the CBI or ED. The demand for an enquiry is absolutely justified. Why has the Hon'ble Prime Minister [the Minister for CBI] gone quiet in the last 24 hours?" he asked.
"Why has the Hon'ble Finance Minister [the Minister for ED] not responded to the demand for an enquiry? Their silence is ominous," Mr. Chidambaram added.
Mr. Modi on May 8, for the first time during the Lok Sabha elections, accused the Congress of having a "deal" with "Ambani and Adani", and asked if the party had received "tempo loads of black money" from the two industrialists for Mr. Gandhi to stop "abusing" them.
In a change of narrative on the "Ambani-Adani" issue, which was until now used by the Congress to attack Mr. Modi and his government at the Centre, the Prime Minister demanded that the party explain why it had stopped raising the issue as its "shehzada [Mr. Gandhi]" used to do for the past five years and asked if it had struck a "sauda [deal]".
On the same day, Mr. Gandhi dared Mr. Modi to have the CBI or the ED initiate a probe into whether Mr. Adani and Mr. Ambani had sent black money to his party.
Several Congress leaders have also put out video messages on their social media handles asking when Mr. Modi would order an investigation against Mr. Adani and Mr. Ambani on the basis of his allegation.
