Thaindian News

New Delhi, April 20 (IANS) Two days after quitting as minister over alleged links to the Kochi IPL franchise, a “deeply wounded” Shashi Tharoor said Tuesday that his conscience was clear and that he had asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to “thoroughly” probe the charges against him.
“I am deeply wounded by fanciful and malicious charges that have been made against me and I have requested the prime minister to have these charges against me thoroughly investigated,” an emotional Tharoor said in the Lok Sabha amid loud thumping from his colleagues in the Congress.

Dressed in a spotless white kurta pyjama and a tricolour scarf draped around his shoulders, Tharoor said in his impassioned appeal that he was new to Indian politics.

“I am new to Indian politics, but I have a long track record in public life unblemished by financial irregularities,” Tharoor said amid pin-drop silence.

“It is important to me that my name is cleared,” he added, two days after resigning as minister of state for external affairs.

This was the second time that the MP from Thiruvananthapuram was making a statement in the house over the controversial deal related to the IPL Kochi franchise in which his Dubai-based friend Sunanda Pushkar received sweat equity worth Rs.70 crore.

The former high ranking UN diplomat said he had stepped down in order to enable parliament to proceed with the legislative business and to focus on greater challenges ahead.

“I welcome the fact that this august house… may now move on from the disruption we witnessed on Friday to address the important issues which await its consideration, and to take the crucial decisions needed to promote the well-being of the people of the country.”

In an eloquent speech, Tharoor, a well-known author, thanked the people of Thiruvananthapuram for electing him to the Lok Sabha and underlined that he believed in “an India of pluralism, tolerance and diversity