Jagdish Tytler opts out himself

I RESIGNED AS NRI MINISTER

Opposition has always used 1984 riots to target congress. In the process they have selected a few scapegoats. It is a well known fact to entire country that I have been selected as scapegoat. When opposition started blaming my party, I resigned from Ministry of NRI.

MY SPEECH IN THE PARLIAMENT
Mr. Speaker Sir,

I sincerely thank you for acceding to my request to allow me to make a statement in this August house, to bring out the circumstances which made me submit my unconditional resignation from the council of ministers led by the Hon. Prime Minister, so that the people of this country at large, the people of my constituency who voted me to this August body, the Sikh community in its entirety, and those among the Sikh community that suffered during the shameful riots in 1984 may come to know of the facts concerning me and my involvement there. I can very well realize the pain and sorrow and agony of the victims of the 1984 riots, for I have seen my own father cut to pieces during the exodus of partition.

Sir, I must also be permitted to say that what happened in the aftermath of the assassination of Smt. Indira Gandhi ji on the 31st of October, 1984 has left scars which generations to come will not easily forget, and I stand together with the Prime Minister and Smt. Sonia Gandhi ji, in their commitment and their sincere efforts to assuage the feelings and compensate all those who have suffered.

The subject is the allegation involving me along with those who incited these riots. Every individual goes through moments of introspection and today, when my name has been dragged into it, I feel sad and hurt, because all along these twenty-one years my political adversaries made their efforts to involve me.

But the numerous commissions and inquiries including the investigations by the CBI, whenever there was a non-congress government negated all the allegations in their totality.

Whenever the media reports, instigated by my adversaries, appeared in the Press, I instead of entering into arguments with them, have always asked the concerned investigating agencies to bring out the truth, and may I submit. Sir, that twice during the investigations, the office of the Police Commissioner, Delhi has intimated me twice in writing that they have found no truth in these allegations.

Sir, may I avail of this opportunity to apprise you, Sir, and through you to the nation, that when the Hon. High court in July, 1996, issued a show cause notice to the Delhi police on this very aspect, the office of the Police Commissioner, the DCP-HQ submitted a report to the Hon. High Court stating that I was nowhere involved in the riots, leave alone in any manner in inciting these riots. Even on the 26th of August, 1997, Justice Anil Dev Singh of the Delhi High Court ordered a CBI inquiry, and in that report, the CBI had very clearly given me a clean chit, saying that I was not at all involved.

Sir, on the day of the assassination of Smt. Indira Gandhi ji, I was in Mrs. Smt. Indira ji’s parliamentary constituency, Amethi, along with many important personalities including Shri Arun Singh, the then defence minister, Shri Sanjay Singh, Ex-Communications Minister, and Shri Md. Ahmed Patel, Hon. Member of the Rajya Sabha.

Immediately on my return to Delhi, I along with others got extremely pre-occupied at the residence of Smt. Indira ji, and if I recall correctly, I was first at Akbar Road in the morning and the rest of the day I was at Teen Murthi Bhavan, near her body.

All these allegations have no meaning till justice Nanavati’s report came under consideration, which has not 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. But surely, Sir, falsehood repeated, cannot become truth, and is “probably” true that the commission has used the word that there is a “probability” of my being involved.

Sir, the Justice Nanavati Commission report has chosen to give credence to some submissions and ignore others.

Sir, the accusations are bizarre, because the blood in my veins is from a Sikh-Kapoor family. My elder brother has married into a Sikh family, and one of the prominent Sikh families of Delhi, who was my next-door neighbour, along with other Sikh families were at my residence for more than then days immediately after the assassination of Smt. Indira ji, during this very tragic period.

The action taken report of the government laid on the table of parliament, prepared to take no further action as far as my involvement in the riots were concerned; but as you are aware, Sir, due to the present, prevalent, political compulsions and the vociferous representations, the Hon. Prime Minister committed to the house that the matter would be reinvestigated. My conscience guided me to put in my resignation, so that the investigations are fair and any chance of embarrassment to the Hon. Prime Minister and Smt. Sonia Gandhi, leader of the UPA, as well as my colleagues in the congress party, of which I have been a loyal member for the past thirty-two years and more, is obviated.

Sir, I only trust and sincerely believe that the investigations being ordered afresh are completed within a specified time frame, so that I stand vindicated.

Jagdish Tytler

I WROTE TO THE PARTY PRESIDENT, SONIA GANDHI:
Respected Sonia Gandhi Ji,

I write this with a very heavy heart, hurt as I am due to my name having been mentioned in the Justice Nanavati Report on the basis of complete distortion of facts.

I need hardly reiterate my unstinting loyalty to the party and your family, my association with both having been since 1972.

Madam, I have become a victim of sustained conspiracy by my political adversaries including from within my party.

I find that the development of last two days have taken a turn which have created an embarrassing situation for you personally and for the government, hence I am enclosing my unconditional letter of resignation from the council of Ministers, addressed to the Honourable Prime Minister, and I trust this shall enable you to take a decision in the interest of the party.

Once again take this opportunity to assure you Madam that as always, I shall remain a loyal congressman.

With respectful regards,


Yours sincerely


Jagdish Tytler

AGAIN JUST BEFORE ELECTION, OPPOSITION DID THE SAME THING. I FELT BAD ABOUT THE FACT THAT OPPOSITION WERE TARGETING MY PARTY AND USED ME AS A SCAPEGOAT. LIKE I RESIGNED FROM MINISTRY OF NRI, I WITHDREW MYSELF FROM THE CANDIDATURE AND DIDN'T FOUGHT THE ELECTION.