P. Chidambaram Age, Wiki and Bio

P. Chidambaram

Quick Info

ProfessionPolitician
NationalityIndian
Date of Birth16/09/1945
Age79 years
BirthplaceKanadukathan, Sivaganga District, Tamil Nadu
HometownKanadukathan, Tamil Nadu
CasteNagarathar (Chettiar)

Bio/Wiki

Full NamePalaniappan Chidambaram
Famous forBeing the Finance Minister of India from 2004-2014

Physical Stats & More

Height175 cm
Weight80 kg
Eye ColorBlack
Hair ColorBlack

Educational Qualification(s)

Degree 1BSc in Statistics from the Presidency College in 1964
Degree 2Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Madras Law College in 1966
Degree 3MBA from Harvard Business School in 1968

Personal Life

Zodiac signVirgo
ReligionHinduism
Food HabitNon-vegetarian
Address87/1-54 Motilal Street, Kandanur, Sivaganga District, Tamil Nadu

Relationships & More

Marital StatusMarried
GirlfriendNalini Kailasam
Marriage Date11 December 1968

Family

FatherPalaniappa Chettiar
MotherLakshmi Achi
Siblings
Brother 1P. Lakshmanan
Brother 2P. Annamalai (deceased)
SisterUma Narayanan
SpouseNalini Chidambaram
Children
SonKarti Chidambaram

Career

Political Party
  • Indian National Congress (INC) (1972-1996; 2004-Present)
  • Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) (1996-2001)
  • Congress Jananayaka Peravai (2001-2004)
Political Journey
  • Joined the Indian National Congress (INC) in 1972
  • Included as a member of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in 1972
  • Appointed as the Youth Congress President of Tamil Nadu from 1973 to 1976
  • Appointed as the General Secretary of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) of Tamil Nadu from 1976 to 1977
  • Contested and won his first Lok Sabha Election from the Sivganga Constituency in 1984 and was elected to the 8th Lok Sabha
  • Appointed as the Joint Secretary of the AICC
  • Appointed as the Union Deputy Minister of Commerce by Rajiv Gandhi on 21 September 1985
  • Union Deputy Minister for Administrative Reforms, Personal & Public Grievances, and Pensions from 1985 to 1986
  • Union Minister of State for Personal & Public Grievances, Pension and Home Affairs (Internal Security)
  • Re-elected as an MP from the Sivganga Constituency in 1989
  • Member of many committees such as the Consultative Committee under the Punjab State Legislature Act, Committee to review Lok Sabha Secretariat Rules, Ministry of Finance Consultative Committee (1989 to 1990)
  • Elected to the 10th Lok Sabha in 1991
  • Union Minister of State for Commerce (Independent Charge) from June 1991 to July 1992
  • Reappointed as the Minister of State for Commerce (Independent Charge) from February 1995 to April 1996
  • Quit Congress in 1996 to join the Tamil Manila Congress (TMC)
  • Appointed as the Finance Minister in 1996
  • Elected to the Lok Sabha for the fifth time in 1998
  • Elected to the 14th Lok Sabha in 2004
  • Appointed as the Cabinet Minister for Finance by the Manmohan Singh Government
  • Appointed as the Union Minister of Home Affairs after the 2008 Mumbai Terror Attacks
  • Elected to the Lok Sabha for the seventh time in 2009
  • Appointed as the Union Minister of Finance after Pranab Mukherjee was made the President of India in 2012
  • Elected to the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra in 2016
  • Resigned from his Rajya Sabha seat from Maharashtra and got elected to the Upper House from Tamil Nadu for a fresh term on 16 June 2022
Awards, Honours, Achievements
  • Best Administrator in India Award by the K. Karunakaran Foundation in 2012
  • Business Reformer of the Year Award by ET Awards in September 2013

Style Quotient

Car Collection
  • Honda City (2015 Model)
  • Skoda Octavia (2010 Model)
Assets/Properties (as in 2016)
MovableINR 42.95 Crores
Cash3.5 Lacs INR
Bank Deposits22.43 Crores INR
Bonds & Shares10.44 Crores INR
Jewellery32 gm Gold worth 87,000 INR and 3.21 Carat Diamonds worth 9.12 Lacs INR
Immovable4.25 Crores INR
Agricultural Land in Athuru Village, Karnataka1.93 Crores INR
Agricultural Land in Habbale Village, Karnataka2.31 Crores INR
Money Factor
Salary (As Member of Rajya Sabha)1 Lac INR per month + Additional Allowances
Net Worth (approx.)95.66 Crores INR (as in 2016)

Some Lesser Known Facts

P. Chidambaram was India’s Finance Minister from 2004 to 2014.
He is a senior Spokesperson of the Indian National Congress (INC).
His mother, Lakshmi Achi, was the daughter of Sir Annamalai Chettiar, founder of Annamalai University and United India Insurance Company.
During college, he embraced the Left’s ideology and co-founded the political journal "The Radical View."
Chidambaram is also a Supreme Court lawyer.
He had a love marriage and eloped with his wife before getting married in 1968.
The 1997 Budget that he presented is still regarded as India's dream budget.
His mother attended the 1997 Budget session and was proud of his balanced budget.
Chidambaram is known for his strong memory and fast reading skills.
He merged his party with the Indian National Congress in 2005.
He became the Finance Minister in 2004 in the Manmohan Singh Government.
Chidambaram was appointed the Home Minister in November 2008 post the Mumbai terror attacks.
In 2012, he assumed the role of Finance Minister again.
He was elected to the Rajya Sabha on 5 July 2016.
After almost three months in jail, he was granted bail in the INX Media money laundering case on 4 December 2019.