Thursday, August 18 2005 16:07 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Jagdish Tytler told the Lok Sabha today (August18, 2005) that the Nanavati Commission, which probed the 1984 anti-Sikh riots had "dragged my name unnecessarily" and his "unconditional" resignation as Union Minister was to avoid any embarrassment to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

In a statement on the cause of his resignation, he said that his conscience guided him to say, "due to the present, prevalent, political compulsions and the vociferous representations, the Prime Minister committed to the House that the matter would be reinvestigated".

"All these allegations have no meaning till Justice Nanavati's report came under consideration, which has basically not found anything against me, but for reasons best known to the Commission, the Commission found it fit to drag my name, unnecessarily. "And if I may say so, dubiously, merely to give credence to baseless and vile accusations, arranged by my adversaries", he said.

Akali dal members led by S S Dhindsa objected to Tytler being allowed to make the statement and when Speaker Somnath Chatterjee overruled their objections, they staged a walkout raising slogans against Tytler. The entire NDA led by the BJP walked out when Tytler was reading the statement alleging that the former Minister was attacking the Commission.

Tytler said falsehood repeated, could not become truth and is "probably" true that the Commission has used the word that there was a "probability" of his being involved. "The Commission has chosen to give credence to some submissions and ignore others...The accusations are bizarre", he said.

The former Union Minister expressed hope that the investigations being ordered afresh would be completed within a specified timeframe so that his stand could be vindicated. Soon after his statement, some Left members raised certain queries regarding the probe, but the Speaker ignored them.