New Delhi:
After Law Minister Salman Khurshid lost his temper at a press meet on Sunday, his wife Louise defended him, saying "Salman is a minister later, a human first, he is bound to get angry."
She also said, "at the end of the day the man only has his
izzat (respect), his
iman (integrity), his honour. What does he do when it is dragged through mud?"
At a press conference yesterday, Mr Khurshid derided allegations made by Hindi TV channel Aaj Tak of embezzlement from an NGO headed by the minister and run by his wife Louise. He said he has sued the channel, which says it stands by his story.
The minister also lost his cool at the press conference as he parried a barrage of questions from the media. He yelled at reporters, threatened to leave the press conference, and his aides were seen trying to calm him down. He said he was "hurt" by the allegations.
Before that, the minister produced photos that he said prove that camps were held across his home state of Uttar Pradesh at which equipment for special-needs people was distributed.
Mr Khurshid also said his party leaders will decide whether he must quit, and that he will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to brief him on his version of the controversy.
In its expose, the channel alleged that the minister's NGO used a forged letter to help it access funds worth 71.5 lakhs from the Centre. The funds are meant to help special-needs residents in UP. The channel alleges that camps were never held to distribute equipment like mechanised tricycles.
Mr Khurshid brandished photos and said that he inaugurated some of these camps himself. However, Arvind Kejriwal, who has recently formed a political party and has been holding protests in Delhi demanding Mr Khurshid's resignation, said the photos are not proof of the minister's innocence. He says the photos show camps held in 2010-2011; but it's the year 2009 to 2010 that is in question.
In an interview to NDTV after the press conference at which he lost his temper, Mr Khurshid explained his defence of his NGO. "I have shown documents that prove camps did exist... people gave false certificates saying no camps were held," he said.
Mr Khurshid said that he has had a very encouraging response from his party and that the ministers have stood by him.
The Law Minister also said that the time has come to make everybody, including the media responsible. "If Murdoch can be probed, why not India Today?" he asked.