Kolkata: For journalists like us, PC has always been a press conference from where important information is disseminated. But this PC had got an altogether different identity with Palaniappan Chidambaram's rise in political echelons has been well documented in annals of the Indian political lexicon.
But then, it again got a new face with bubbly girl Priyanka Chopra making a big foray into Bollywood and then hopping on to Hollywood. India got another PC that was lovingly dubbed PeeCee. The PeeCee gained more prominence with time and gatecrashed into the entertainment buffs' kitchen discussion when she got hitched with American singer-songwriter-actor Nick Jonas.
Now, Indian politics is buzzing with another PC — disgraced Trinamool leader Partha Chatterjee. Chatterjee has been in Enforcement Directorate custody for alleged corruption in School Service Commission recruitment. Though only one PC rose to the limelight for the right reasons, the two others don't have a clean image to boast of.
Chidambaram has been accused of financial embezzlement and so is the Trinamool leader. In 2019, the central agency CBI even scaled Chidambaram's residence wall to arrest him in the dead of the night over allegations of facilitating foreign investment in INX Media during his tenure as the Union Finance Minister in 2007.
Also read: I am a victim of conspiracy: Partha Chatterjee
One won't have to turn over many pages to know about Chidambaram's shenanigans, followed by his son Karti's involvement in similar cases. Partha Chatterjee, on the other hand, had a sharp fall from grace. Thought to be one of the sane voices in a party seemingly coated with corrupt and immoral practices, this PC eventually belied his knowledge and sanity in a frantic quest for money, power, and filth.
It was in August 2019, when CBI sleuths scaled the walls of Chidambaram's Jor Bagh residence premises, and the Opposition came down heavily on the dispensation under Narendra Modi. Thanks to Supreme Court, Chidambaram managed to wriggle out of the impending trouble despite being in CBI custody for days. However, Partha Chatterjee hasn't been given a reprieve by any of the courts as yet.
Both PCs have had stains of corruption etched in their otherwise chequered careers, but the cases are a tad different given the current scenario. In the case of Chidambaram, his party Indian National Congress stood rock solid behind the accused leader, whereas Trinamool Congress literally washed its hands off Partha Chatterjee, leaving him to fight a lone battle. Time will say whether both PCs face the music for their misdeeds or both come out clean by using the loopholes of the Indian judiciary.
