Did Congress President Sonia Gandhi step in to shield Tehelka and its financier after its 2001 sting on corruption in defence deals? Jaya Jaitly, in her autobiography, has made public a letter that Sonia Gandhi wrote to then Finance Minister P Chidambaram asking him to ensure that Tehelka's financiers were not treated in an 'unfair and unjust' manner. The book also cites a letter that Tehelka's alleged financier Shankar Sharma of First Global, wrote to Sonia Gandhi asking for help in the face of 'continued harassment by government agencies'. The Justice Phukan Commission inquiring into Tehelka's dealings was scrapped just days later. Jaya Jaitly also claims that the Congress benefited from the Tehelka sting that exposed corruption during former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure. Ms Jaitly was forced to quit as Samata Party President in 2001 after Tehelka's 'Operation West End' sting, George Fernandes then Defence Minister resigned at the time as well.