In the eye of a storm over his role in the Iraqi oil-for-food scam, former external affairs minister Natwar Singh's son Jagat Singh Tuesday attacked the Congress for its "mishandling of the whole issue" and expressed pain over "the way his father was asked to go".

• Volcker Report

Jagat said his father, who was divested of his external affairs ministry portfolio after being named in the Volcker report as one of the beneficiaries of the Oil-for-Food Programme, would resign as promised, but insisted that a great injustice has been done to the man "who passed all his life in the service of the nation". "There were other ways of asking such a man to go," he added.

Jagat was part of a Congress delegation to Iraq, which included his father, in January 2001, a visit that is under scrutiny after the revelations of the Volcker report.

Replying to a question, he alleged that the Congress party was being run by "some intellectuals who do not understand politics". Taking strong exception to Kapil Sibal's statement Monday, Jagat said people holding responsible positions in the party should not talk and behave like that. If all this was being done to get rid of his father, they should have asked him to resign, he added.

He and his father both were loyal workers of the party and were ready for any sacrifice, he said talking to reporters in New Delhi.

He however, added, "I am sorry to say that there was mishandling on the part of the party in the whole controversy." Earlier, in an interview to BBC Hindi, Jagat said he and his father had become victims f aconspiracy, though, he refused to pinpoint "t this juncture" he persons behind the conspiracy.

"I can say we are being targeted. The way this entire issue has unfolded, it raises many doubts and the entire sequence of events leaves behind a trail of questions, raising many suspicions in our minds," he said.

Replying to a question, Jagat denied reports that the Enforcement Directorate was going to question him in connection with the scam.