In the face of mounting controversy over his alleged involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Congress leader Jagdish Tytler announced his decision to pull out of the Lok Sabha elections saying he does not want to cause embarrassment.
"My heart says a lot of embarrassment has been caused to the party. I don't think I should fight," he told a press conference here amidst speculation that the party would keep him out of the fray.
He said he has left the decision to Congress president Sonia Gandhi to decide whether he should contest in view of the "vicious campaign" launched by BJP and Akali Dal and the "atmosphere" created by the media.
65-year-old Tytler, who had won thrice from the capital, was announced as party's candidate from the newly-created North-East Delhi seat.
His candidature became a subject of renewed controversy in the wake of a Sikh journalist lobbing a shoe at Home Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday protesting against the clean chit to him given by the CBI.
The shoe-lobbing incident triggered protests by Sikhs causing concerns in Congress with some sections of the party in the capital and Punjab seeking withdrawal of Tytler's candidature.
Tytler was earlier forced to resign as the Minister of State for Overseas Affairs in August 2005 after the Justice Nanavati Commission indicted him in the riots case.
"Such embarrassment has been caused to the party and my family. I have left it to Congress president to decide (on my candidature). If she says, I will welcome this and I will not even think of fighting elections if the party does not want," he said.
"I take moral responsibility. I don't want to put the party into any embarrassment... I am not going pursue my ticket," he said.
"Whatever the Congress president says, I will do... Her word is law for me," he added.
