Agencies/New Delhi

The top leadership of Congress Party including its president Sonia Gandhi walked to former prime minister Manmohan Singh’s home yesterday in an unusual display of support after he was summoned to court in a corruption case.
The most recognisable of the ministers who served under Singh strode through the leafy streets of central Delhi to his colonial-era bungalow where he stood outside smiling, his wife by his side.
Gandhi, 68, who rarely speaks in public off the campaign trail, rallied to Singh’s cause in apparent recognition of his loyalty to her family, which last year was replaced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as India’s top political force.
“We are fully behind him, we will fight this legally and with all the means at our command, we are sure that he will be fully vindicated,” Gandhi said, flanked by the former defence and finance ministers who dominated government for a decade.
“We are outraged at the news of summons being served on former prime minister Manmohan Singh... He is known for his integrity and probity not only in the country but across the world. We are here to offer our unstinting support to Manmohan ji,” she told reporters.
Elsewhere, in the heartland state of Uttar Pradesh, hundreds of Congress workers briefly stopped trains in sit-in protests on railway tracks.
A judge on Wednesday ordered Singh to appear on April 8 to explain his role in the illegal award of a coal field to Hindalco Industries of billionaire businessman Kumar Mangalam Birla, a new blow for the party that was engulfed by graft scandals towards the end of its rule.
The special Central Bureau of Investigation court also summoned Birla and former coal secretary P C Parakh, terming the case a “criminal conspiracy” with the objective to “do an illegal act.”
Singh said he was “more than pleased and grateful” by the show of support.
“The Congress Party, Sonia-ji and all members of the working committee and senior leaders have come to my residence, expressed solidarity with me and that we will fight this case to the best of our ability,” he said.
Senior Congress leader and former minister Anand Sharma said nobody could question Singh’s transparency and honesty and that truth shall prevail.
“The Congress Party is with Manmohan Singh-ji and the party is not going to bow to any situation... We have full faith that in this case too the truth will prevail,” Sharma said.
Former defence minister A K Antony said they were sure that Singh will come out clean.
Jyotiraditya Scindia, a Congress MP from Madhya Pradesh, said: “We express our solidarity with the ex-prime minister. We are very confident that he will emerge clean, something that he remained during his public life.”
Former finance minister P Chidambaram said: “The CBI is an investigative arm of the government. The CBI has twice said that there is no charge and no ground to take criminal action and now the government should come and say that they stand by the CBI report. Why is the government reluctant to say that?”
Another former minister, Kapil Sibal said: “Will defend Singh with all our might. Personally, I am saddened by the move, but we respect court orders.”
The show of unity contrasted with the treatment of late prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, who was kicked out of the Congress Party after a 1996 election defeat and left to fight a corruption trial and other legal cases on his own.
Rao, who with Singh pushed through reforms credited for two decades of fast economic growth, is rarely mentioned by Gandhi. He died in 2004.
“Rao was disowned almost in the way Communist parties disowned purged leaders,” veteran newspaper editor and commentator Shekhar Gupta said.
The judge who summoned Singh questioned which officials and politicians could have gained financially from the decision to ignore guidelines and re-allocate a coal field in eastern India to Hindalco Industries.
Some commentators believe Singh’s loyalty to the Gandhis - despite being at times overruled by Sonia and her son and party vice president Rahul, during his time in office - blemished his record.
“No matter how angry he may get with them, he is not going to blame them or rat on them,” Gupta said. “He has put feudal family loyalty over public trust.”
A globally respected economist known for his integrity and humble lifestyle, Singh’s premiership ended in ignominy as corruption scandals rocked the telecommunications, defence and coal ministries.
He was seen as a personally honest but weak leader, and dominated by party president Gandhi.
Rahul Gandhi was notable by his absence from the march.
Rahul, who is expected to take over as party president when his mother steps down, took a leave of absence from politics a few weeks ago and is believed to be out of the country.