Angry Salman Khurshid says ready to face probe,rules out quitting

Amid high drama at a two-hour press conference at his residence,which saw verbal sparring between Khurshid and his wife Louise and journalists belonging to the TV Today group,the minister virtually ruled out stepping down from his post saying he would do so only if the chairperson and managing director of the group,Aroon Purie,also resigned.

Khurshid,who was in London and returned on Saturday night also said he would be meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to “share my experiences” with him. “Whatever happens between me and my party leadership is a matter which I cannot divulge,” he said.

Flanked by Louise,who is the project director of the Dr Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust that his family runs and that is at the centre of the controversy,Khurshid rejected charges of embezzlement of government funds provided to the trust for distribution of wheelchairs,crutches,hearing aids and other equipment to the disabled.

The trust was given Rs 71.50 lakh during 2009-2010 by the Ministry of Social Welfare and Empowerment under the Assistance to Disabled Persons Scheme (ADIP). While the trust maintains that it organised 34 camps in 17 districts of Uttar Pradesh for the disabled,an Aaj Tak sting makes the charge that in a number of districts,the camps were not held at all and signatures on a number of papers that were part of compliance documents were forgeries. Aaj Tak is part of the TV Today group.

About the charge that the affidavit signed by official J B Singh was a forgery,Khurshid released photographs of the official participating in an ADIP camp in Mainpuri.

“Nothing on Rs 71 lakh can be proved… Not a word can be proved. They can scream,scream and scream till they turn blue in their face,” Khurshid said at the press conference,where he lost his temper a number of times and even told a journalist of the TV Today group to shut up and leave. Before the press conference,he had asked journalists from Aaj Tak and Headlines Today to be kept out but relented after other journalists said it would be inappropriate.

Releasing documents to show that 34 camps were held for the disabled in 2009 and 2010,he also produced people associated with these camps.

Khurshid,however,refrained from dwelling on similar charges levelled by Arvind Kejriwal. He said Louise had already met UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and sought a probe. “The UP government is probing into mysterious affidavit that is suspected to have carried forged signatures.”