Tharoor urges PM to probe charges against him

Shashi Tharoor, who quit from the union council of ministers over the IPL row, on Tuesday insisted that he had done nothing unethical or illegal and said he has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to probe the charges made against him.

Making a statement in the Lok Sabha, he said, "I have done nothing improper, unethical and much less illegal .... I have requested the Prime Minister to investigate thoroughly the charges against me. "It is important to me that my name is cleared" as he had lived a life of probity throughout his career abroad, Tharoor said in the statement explaining the background of his resignation.

Noting that he had no desire to be an embarrassment to the government, he said his resignation would strengthen the hands of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet colleagues to go deeper into the relevant issues He said it was a privilege to have served the government and the Congress party under the leadership of Singh and UPA Chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi.