Jarnail finds mark after all, Tytler & Sajjan shooed

NEW DELHI: Raging Sikh emotions on Thursday finally forced the Congress to withdraw Jagdish Tyler and Sajjan Kumar from the Delhi Lok Sabha elections fray. The party was left with little option as the community���s anger, which was further vented by Tuesday���s shoe-hurling incident at the AICC office, was threatening to mar its electoral prospects in Sikh-dominated areas of Punjab and Delhi.

���The Congress, which is mindful of the sentiments of the people, has decided not to field Sajjan Kumar and Tytler,��� party spokesman Janardhan Dwivedi said. He said the two leaders will work for the party.

An hour earlier, Mr Tytler had addressed the media to announce his willingness to quit the contest. ���I am not going to pursue my ticket and leave it to the Congress president to take a decision. I don���t think I should fight (the elections). If my stepping down helps, I will do so,��� Mr Tytler told a news conference at his Delhi residence.

On Tuesday, journalist Jarnail Singh had tossed a shoe at home minister P Chidambaram to protest the CBI���s clean chit to Mr Tytler in the 1984 Sikh riots case.

Thursday���s denouement came after much dilly-dallying by the Congress. While the government leadership attempted to play the ���outsider��� through media reports of ���outrage��� over the CBI clean chit, the Congress brass waited till the court proceedings (on CBI���s plea for closing the riots case against Mt Tytler) of the day got over.

Earlier on Thursday, Delhi chief minister Shiela Dikshit had described the protests as politically-orchestrated . A section in the Congress was also arguing that the party should brazen it out. But when the court adjourned the case to April 28, it became untenable for the party to delay a decision on Mr Tytler. It took three days of protests by Sikh bodies in Punjab and Delhi to sensitise the Congress about the risk involved in persevering with Mr Tytler and Mr Kumar.