Tiwari says sorry but insists he is innocent
Dehradun, Dec 28 – Former Andhra Pradesh Governor N.D. Tiwari, who quit in disgrace after allegations of his involvement in a sex romp, Monday broke his silence by apologizing to the nation but insisting that he was innocent.
‘It is baseless, fake… It is risky to even talk to a woman … Anyone can make an allegation. It is 100 percent wrong allegation,’ Tiwari told reporters as he arrived in his home state after exiting quietly from the Andhra Pradesh capital.
Looking hassled, Tiwari sought to link what he said were allegations against him to the ongoing campaign for a separate Telangana state.
‘The Telangana fight is going on … The president was to come there. People wanted to meet me… Some friends thought … I have been framed because of the Telangana issue,’ he said.
‘I apologise to the nation but I have done no wrong. I have been framed. It is a political conspiracy,’ he added.
Tiwari, 85, one of the best known names in the Congress and a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, insisted that he was not ‘disturbed’ by the sudden turbulence in his life.
‘I am not disturbed. I have participated in the freedom movement and will fight it out,’ he said.
On Friday, a Telugu television channel ran clips purportedly showing Tiwari caught on camera in a compromising position with three women. The clips ran for about an hour before the Andhra Pradesh High Court restrained the channel from airing the video.
The clips angered Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi besides embarrassing the Congress.
Once he realised the mood in the party, Tiwari sent his resignation to President Pratibha Patil Saturday citing health concerns.
A three-time chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Tiwari was appointed the Andhra Pradesh governor in August 2007.
Chief Minister K. Rosaiah met Tiwari before he left the Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad, without the customary farewell usually given to an outgoing governor.
