New Delhi: The Congress termed the resignation of Justice Venkatswami from the Tehelka Probe Commission as vindication of its stand and said the government should hand over the probe to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).

"I think we raised the issue correctly. The way the government tried to cover up the whole thing and put him into a trap. This is a bit unfortunate," Congress chief whip Priyaranjan Dasmunshi said.

Dasmunshi, who had raised in Lok Sabha the issue of Venkatswami being given a senior government post while probing the Tehelka expose, said it was an example of how the government tried to "work the whole thing".

Stating that the party would wait for the government's reaction to the resignation, he reiterated the demand of an inquiry by the Joint Parliamentary Committee in the expose.

"Now it is up to the government to assure the nation of a proper and complete probe in the matter. But I still feel it would be more appropriate if they would sent it back to the JPC," he said.

Blaming the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet for clearing the appointment of Venkatswami as Chairman of the Authority on Advance Ruling in Customs and Excise Department, Dasmunshi said the committee had done this knowing fully well that it would amount to an "embarrassment" for the judge.

He said that the Tehelka probe would "certainly suffer" by Venkatswami's resignation but added Congress had made it very clear right from the beginning that this Commission would not help in bringing out the whole truth.

PTI