P Chidambaram Summoned by ED on Friday in Connection to UPA-Era Air India Plane Deal Case

The former Union Minister was dragged into the case after his the then Aviation Minister Praful Patel, while appearing before the ED, said he cannot be held solely responsible for the decision to purchase 48 aircraft from Airbus and 68 from Boeing. The deal had cost the Air India Rs 70,000 crore.

P Chidambaram | (Photo Credits: ANI)

New Delhi, August 19: A summon was issued to senior Congress leader P Chidambaram by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday, asking him to appear before the investigative agency on Friday. The former Union Minister is under scanner for his role in the alleged scam involving the purchase of 111 planes for Air India in 2007. Chidambaram, who was then heading a key ministerial panel, had reportedly approved the deal.

Chidambaram was dragged into the case after the then Aviation Minister Praful Patel, while appearing before the ED, said he cannot be held solely responsible for the decision to purchase 48 aircraft from Airbus and 68 from Boeing. The deal had cost the Air India Rs 70,000 crore, and is said to be one of the reasons for the subsequent losses incurred by the carrier. BJP Wouldn't Have Touched Article 370 if Kashmir Was Hindu-Dominated, Says P Chidambaram

"Decisions taken at the time were collective and not on the whims of one person. A collective approach was adopted. The aircraft purchase order was cleared by an EGOM (empowered group of ministers) headed by Chidambaram," Patel had recently said during an interview with a news channel.

Patel, a top NCP leader, was heading the Aviation Ministry under the UPA-I government of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Chidambaram was then heading the Finance Ministry.

Probe into the aircraft purchase deal was launched after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), based on the directions of Supreme Court, registered three cases and launched a preliminary probe.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 19, 2019 04:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).

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