Khurshid presents documents to show his NGO held camps

Law Minister Salman Khurshid on Sunday presented photographs and press clippings to show Dr Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust, a non-government organisation run by him and his wife, had indeed held camps to distribute equipment to disabled people in 17 districts of Uttar Pradesh.

The press conference, called to disprove allegations of misuse of funds by the trust, saw high drama as Khurshid threatened to file a case abroad against the TV channel that had first aired a report on this issue.

“I will see you in court,” the minister threatened the reporter from a TV channel, even as he did not explain why some of the signatures on the affidavits presented by his NGO as proof of the camps were forged. He said that needed investigation.

 

Khurshid refrained from taking on anti-corruption activist Kejriwal, who had accused his NGO of showing forged affidavits as proof of camps, throughout the press conference. He said he would resign only if the head of the TV channel that aired the story on his NGO also resigned till the probe was over.

Kejriwal’s claim was backed by documents, which a TV channel owned by the India Today group showed, besides a draft Comptroller and Auditor General report.

Kejriwal, who even spent a day in police detention, has been staging a protest demanding Khurshid’s resignation for the past three days. The allegations have shifted the spotlight of Kejriwal’s anti-corruption campaign from Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra to the law minister.(NO BUCKLING UNDER PRESSURE)

Khurshid said he was as clueless as anyone as to why signatures were forged on a document that said camps were held. He said he was clueless because he knew the camps were held in all 17 districts. “Who would benefit by forging signatures, if not me” he wondered. He implied there was a conspiracy to trap him and the signatures stood only to benefit his unknown adversary.

He pointed out the NGO run by his wife Louise Khurshid had sought an inquiry into the complaints of forged signatures in September this year, and that the Uttar Pradesh government had agreed to the request.

Kejriwal has responded with five questions — four of those related to the forged signatures Khurshid admitted required a probe. Kejriwal challenged Khurshid to resign if the beneficiaries who the NGO claimed to have helped came forward and denied this.

If camps were held, why did CAG not know about it?
CAG talks of equipment bought after the date of the camp as proof of no camps being held. The first camp is an assessment one where equipment is not given. Equipment is bought later and subsequently a distribution camp is held. Hence the confusion.

Why did CAG not have utilisation certificates and why did it want your funds recovered?
CAG lives across the wall and could have found me if it wanted. I don’t know why it never reached me.

Will you resign?
I don’t have to resign for anyone. If I do something, it will be for the party or for my conscience. I will resign, provided the head of the TV channel also resigns till an inquiry is conducted.

Kejriwal has been protesting, demanding your resignation...
I don’t have to respond to people sitting on the street.

What would your next step be?
I have filed a defamation case in the Delhi High Court and would file a case in London against the TV channel that aired the report on the NGO.

Even as Khurshid presented the bills of equipment distributed and said those would surely have been given to someone if those were bought, he did not explain why the bills were not with the social justice ministry or CAG.