BJP govt trying to wreck my mental strength, I won’t buckle: Chidambaram 

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday accused the Central government of trying to wreck his mental strength by imprisoning him in the INX Media case.

The former Minister, who spent 106 days in Delhi's Tihar jail, walked out of prison on December 4 after the Supreme Court granted him bail in a money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate linked to the INX Media.

"Why was I imprisoned? They thought of wrecking my mental strength and it will not happen any day. If anybody had thought that I will fall, I will never fall as the Congress party and the Indian people's thirst for freedom are behind me...it is going to be a fight continuously," he told reporters in Chennai on his arrival from Delhi.

Chidambaram also accused the government of trying to wreck his physical health, adding they succeeded for about 10 days.

After the court's intervention and examination by doctors, "today (my) health has more or less improved fully," he said.

He claimed that the economy was moving towards the worst phase and cautioned the people to be on guard.

In the coming days, he would continuously "speak and write," he said.

On women's safety, Chidambaram said after he assumed charge as Finance Minister during the UPA regime, Rs 3,100 crore was allotted for the Nirbhaya fund and alleged that several states, including Tamil Nadu had not utilised it, which was regrettable.

"The Nirbhaya fund should be used and women's safety should be ensured."

Alleging that the entire country was turning into a killing field for the women, he said Uttar Pradesh, in particular, was becoming one.

Asserting that this must not happen, he said the onus of halting the trend hence lay not only on the government and women, but also men. "Every man should protect women," he said.

Asked about Union Minister Prakash Javadekar's charge that he has violated his bail conditions, he said: "Prakash Javadekar does not know about the (Supreme Court) court's verdict and he also does not about what I had spoken."

He said that the ruling BJP's goal was to strangulate freedom by targeting rivals by filing cases against them and asserted that he will never buckle under pressure and join the ruling BJP.

He said that BJP's objective was to "strangulate the voice of freedom" and the ruling party had been working towards it by targeting rivals by filing cases against them.

The senior leader, who arrived in Chennai from Delhi on Saturday, was addressing a public meeting at the Tamil Nadu Congress headquarters 'Satyamurthi Bhavan'

"Newspapers should not write, television channels should not debate," he said adding the ruling party's goal was also to not allow "political leaders" (rivals) to criticse it.

To ensure implementation of its agenda, the ruling party at the Centre was bent on "strangulating" their voices, he alleged.

Citing the recent income tax raids against former Karnataka deputy chief minister G Parameshwara and another leader, he said Congress MP K C Ramamurthy subsequently joined the BJP.

Similarly, TDP's C M Ramesh and Y S Chowdary, who were the "left and right hands" of party chief Chandrababu Naidu had earlier this year joined the saffron party.

"Both of them have cases against them and both are today in the BJP," he said.

Sarcastically, Chidambaram likened the BJP to river Ganga, a dip in which is believed to cleanse devotees of their sins.

"The BJP is River Ganga and all sins will vanish after taking a bath in it. I will never take a bath in that Ganga (the BJP). I will bow before justice and judge, I will never bend before injustice," he said, apparently indicating that he will not buckle under pressure and join the BJP.