New Delhi: Lok Sabha MP Karti Chidambaram, who appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday for the third consecutive day in connection with its probe into the alleged Rs 50-lakh bribery for issuance of 263 project visas to the Chinese workers involved in the construction of the Talwandi Sabo power project in 2011, gave a witty reply when asked about the probe.
“A test match is for five days. This is just day three,” news agency ANI quoted the Sivaganga MP as saying.
The 50-year-old Congress leader arrived at the CBI headquarters in the national capital early in the morning to face the investigation team.
The officials said the questioning is likely to continue throughout the day with a lunch break, PTI reported.
Karti Chidambaram, who is being questioned by the CBI since Thursday in the 11-year old case, has termed it as “most bogus” and a result of “political vendetta”.
The case is of 2011 when his father P. Chidambaram was the Union Home Minister.
Earlier on May 14, the CBI had registered an FIR against Karti and others over allegations of a Rs 50-lakh bribe being paid to him and his close associate S Bhaskararaman by a top executive of Vedanta group company Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd (TSPL) for re-issuance of Project Visa for 263 Chinese workers.
TSPL was setting up a power plant in Punjab.
The projects visas were a special type of visas introduced earlier in 2010 for the power and steel sector, detailed guidelines for which were issued during P. Chidambaram’s tenure as the Union Home Minister.
There was, however, no provision for re-issue of project visas, the FIR has alleged.
Bhaskararaman has already been arrested by the investigating agency in connection with the case.