Expressing deep hurt, Home Minister P Chidambaram today strongly rejected BJP's allegation that he had favoured a Delhi-based hotelier, his former client, in withdrawing three FIRs filed against him and dismissed suggestions there was any conflict of interest involved in it.

Chidambaram said since 2004, hotelier SP Gupta had made more than 40 representations to the Home Ministry requesting to withdraw the three FIRs filed against him, which were also backed by three MPs.

"I feel deeply hurt. I strongly reject completely unfounded allegations of BJP," the Home Minister, flanked by Home secretary R K Singh and his predecessor G K Pillai, told reporters.

Chidambaram's remarks came against the backdrop of a raging controversy over the withdrawal of three FIRs against S P Gupta, who runs M/s Sunair Hotels Pvt Ltd.

The three FIRs relate to Gupta allegedly misusing the names of the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and defrauding a firm - VLS Finance - to the tune of several crores of rupees.

Reports also suggested there was a conflict of interest as Gupta was a client of Chidambaram who fought his cases in the court as a lawyer. The reports also claimed that Chidambaram as a Home Minister recommended to the Delhi government to withdraw the FIRs.

However, the Delhi government yesterday had revoked its earlier decision not to press for prosecution of cases against a hotelier.

Dismissing the opposition charge of conflict of interest, Chidambaram said he can't have life long interest in over 25,000 cases he represented as lawyer in last four decades.

"This is a most ridiculous charge. I don't have any current subsisting interest with any case," he said.

BJP insists that Chidambaram's culpability established

(PTI) BJP today refused to buy Home Minister P Chidambaram's contention that allegations against him of misusing his office to help a former client were "unfounded", saying his culpability has been established.

BJP spokesperson and MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy said the person whom Chidambaram had represented as a lawyer found support for his case from the government and yet the minister is saying he had no role.

"There are officers in his ministry who have actively seen that the charges (against Chidambaram's ex-client) are withdrawn. So where is the clarification from Chidambaram? There is absolutely no clarification," Rudy said.

He alleged that the UPA government had become "competely rudderless and clueless".

"The ministers themselves do not have the clarifications for the follies they have committed," he said.

The opposition insisted that Chidambaram hardly has a defence in this case and this was obvious from the uproar in both Houses of Parliament against him.

"His culpability has been established. The Home Minister is trying to steer himself clean but this is not going to happen as at one point of time he was a defendant in the case which has been withdrawn," Rudy said.

Chidambaram had issued a statement today evening saying allegations against him were unfounded. "I don't have any current subsisting interest with any case," he said.