Aiming to end a long-drawn legal battle, senior Congress leader N D Tiwari on Monday accepted Rohit Shekhar, who had dragged him to court in a paternity suit, as his biological son, but the young man remained sceptical.
At a dramatic press conference, in which Rohit, whom a DNA test had established long ago as Tiwari’s son, wept and questioned his sincerity, Tiwari said, “There should be no doubt now that Rohit is my son. I don't think there is any more controversy now.”
However, the 88-year-old politician parried a question on whether Rohit would be his legal heir, saying he has nothing to bequeath to him.
He initially referred to Rohit as his “biological son”, prompting Rohit’s mother Ujjwala Sharma to ask Tiwari to unequivocally declare him as his son, which Tiwari did. He also said he would admit this in the high court.
Asked if Rohit and his mother could stay with him, Tiwari, who quit as Andhra Pradesh governor after a purported video of his escapade was leaked, said they are “welcome”.
Rohit said it was a very happy day in his life, and that all he wanted from Tiwari was to respect his mother, who had fought a long battle for his honour. But he also appeared sceptical of Tiwari’s sincerity. Asked if he was satisfied with the veteran leader’s statement, he shot back, “Are you? You aren’t. That is why you are quizzing him again and again... I too have some doubt in my mind.”
His mother, however, said she was satisfied with Tiwari’s admission, and that their fight was never over his property but about proving that he was her son’s father. Rohit Shekhar had approached the court against former the Uttarkhand chief minister in 2008, claiming he was born as a result of an affair between Tiwari and his mother.