NRI
Affairs Minister Jagdish Tytler resigned
New Delhi, Aug. 11, 2005
Nri Press
NRI Affairs Union Minister, Jagdish
Tytler, resigned tonight. When House rejected - 254
to 128- faced with a tough call to combat the Opposition
and Left criticism and protect Congress' credibility
among the Sikhs, the Prime Minister had told Tytler
to resign.
Tytler submitted his resignation to
Congress President Sonia Gandhi and requested her
to forward to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
NRI Affairs Union Minister said he was not claiming
any high moral bound by taking this decision. Tytler
said he had met the Prime Minister and had told him
that he would be meeting Gandhi. I want my name to
be cleared expeditiously," Tytler said adding
he was not doing it under pressure but on his own.
He said "the party has backed me 100 per cent
and I want my name to be cleared."
PTI PRINT EMAIL
LDALL NANAVATI
NEW DELHI, AUG 10
PTI
Union Minister for NRI Affairs Jagdish
Tytler resigned tonight following his indictment by
the Nanavati Commission and Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh's promise in the Lok Sabha that the government
will reopen and reexamine specific cases mentioned
in the probe report.
As pressure mounted on the government following strident
demands from the opposition and allied left parties
seeking action against him, Tytler met Congress President
Sonia Gandhi late in the night and tendered his resignation
with a request that it be forwarded to the Prime Minister.
Earlier in the day as the Lok Sabha took up for debate
an opposition sponsored adjournment motion on the
subject, he met the Prime Minister and told him that
he would meet Gandhi. "Why should I put the party
in trouble? I want my name to be cleared expeditiously,"
the 61-year-old third term MP from Delhi Sadar told
reporters here.
"Does it look good to say that I will stick
to my post and face the enquiry? Since the media and
the opposition have created a perception to the whole
world that we have done some thing fishy, I think
what the Prime Minister has done (offering fresh probe)
is right," he said after his resignation.
The Commission, whose report was tabled in Parliament
on Monday, had recommended necessary action against
Tytler against whom it felt there was "credible"
evidence and had "very probably" organised
attacks against Sikhs in the capital in the aftermath
of Indira Gandhi's assassination in 1984.
Asked whether he has been isolated in the party,
Tytler said "not at all. I have 100 per cent
backing of the party. Nobody had asked me to resign.
If I had been isolated I would have been asked to
resigned." The continuance of Tytler in the Council
of Ministers appeared untenable ever since the reprot
was tabled in Parliament though the action taken report
of the Government had ruled out any action against
him on the ground that prosecution cannot be launched
on the basis of probability. While as anticipated
the opposition mounted an attack on the ATR, the stridency
of the Left parties demand for action against Tytler
and other Congress leaders mentioned in the report
cast the die against him. Intervening in the debate
in the Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister promised that
wherever the Commission had named sepcific individuals
as needing further examination or sepcific cases needing
reopening and re-examination, the government would
take all possible steps to do so within the ambit
of law. "This is a solemn promise and solemn
commitment to this Hous," he said after the opposition
had slammed the government accusing it of inaction
on the Commission's recommendations. The Prime Minister
said though there is absolutely no evidence that Rajiv
Gandhi or any other high ranking Congress leaders
had organised the attacks, there was something called
peception and sentiments of the House. "Government
resspects that sentiments," he added promising
action. Tytlet's resignation was welcomed by both
BJP and the Left parties who, however, said this was
not enough and action should be taken against Congress
MP Sajjan Kumar and others indicted by the Commission.
Opposition
NDA seeks President’s intervention for justice
for 1984 Sikh riot victims
New Delhi, Aug. 08, 2005
IAN
Dissatisfied with the recommendations
of the Justice G T Nanavati Commission’s Report
and the Action Taken Report of the Government, the
BJP-led opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA)
on Monday said that it would be seeking President
A P J Abdul Kalam’s intervention to ensure the
prosecution of all those involved in perpetrating
the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that claimed over 3,000 lives.
“The NDA would be constituting a Committee which
would study in detail the Commission’s Report.
After studying the report, the NDA will approach President
Kalam to seek action against those involved in the
riots,” BJP senior leader V K Malhotra said,
adding, “although a Parliamentary debate would
take place on the Report, NDA would raise this matter
in both the houses.”
BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said: “We were
not satisfied with both reports, but Action Taken
by the Government even does not seems to follow the
direction given by the Nanavati report. So, we are
planning to seek the President’s intervention
so that justice could be reached.”
Justice Nanavati said that there is credible evidence
that Congress leaders have participated in the riots.
Former Delhi Lt Governor P G Gavai, who according
to the commission failed to take immediate action,
said he was being made the fall guy. He accused the
Home Ministry of adopting delaying tactics when he
went to them to ask for additional forces to bring
the riots under control.
Criticizing the Nanavati panel report, the Minorities
Commission said it is unhappy with the government’s
ATR.
Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities
Tarlochan Singh said the report is unsatisfactory.
According to the Nanavati Commission, which probed
the infamopus incident, there is cause for declaring
several
Congress leaders, including Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan
Kumar and H.K.L.Bhagat guilty of taking part in the
riots, but as there was not enough evidence to go
ahed with the prosecution, these leaders could not
be proceeded against. Tytler, however, said that he
had role to play in the incident.
However, Government’s Action Taken Report (ATR),
which was also tabled with commission report today
exonerated them saying “a person cannot be prosecuted
simply on the basis of probabilities.”
Proceedings in the Lok Sabha were adjourned after
the opposition trooped into the Well of the House
to register their protest over the contents of the
report.
According to the report, the former Lt. Governor
of Delhi T.G. Gavai and then Acting Commissioner of
Police S C Tandon were declared guilty of not taking
appropriate action to control the riots. It said that
Gavai had failed to act in time, and called in the
army three days after the riots broke out.
The 185-page report and its attached annexures, however,
has given a clean chit to incumbent Commerce Minister
Kamal Nath, but said that the seven cases against
Congress leader Sajjan Kumar should be investigated.
In so far as the Cabinet Minister for NRI/PIO Affairs,
JagdishTytler, is concerned, the commission said that
he was most probably involved, but added that no action
could be taken against him as their was still doubt
over his role in the incident. Tytler, however, categorically
denied any role in the incident.
While recording 5,700 statements, the commission
also said that veteran Congress leader H.K.L.Bhagat
also colluded in the riots, but was not being persecuted
on grounds of poor health.
The commission has recommended that the Government
of India give Rs. 3.5 lakh (7778 dollars) as compensation
to the dependants of each of the dead, besides considering
proposals for their employment and rehabilitation.
Justice Nanavati had submitted the two-volume report
to Patil, on February 9 this year. The commission
had cross-examined close to 200 witnesses and accepted
over 10,000 affidavits in the past four years.
Several prominent Congress leaders, including the
former Prime Minister, P V Narasimha Rao, had deposed
before the Commission. Others who deposed before the
commission included former Prime Minister Inder Kumar
Gujral, writer Khushwant Singh, Janata Dal (United
) leader Jaya Jaitly, BJP leader Madan Lal Khurana,
feminist author Madhu Kishwar, former eastern Army
commander late Lt.General Jagjit Singh Aurora, former
diplomat Patwant Singh, Justice R S Narula and rights
activist Swami Agnivesh.
The BJP and some other opposition parties had been
demanding tabling of the report in Parliament since
the Budget session.
