Virbhadra quits on moral ground,to fight case

A DAY after court framed charges against him,Virbhadra Singh resigned.

A DAY after a court in Shimla framed charges against him in a case of corruption and misuse of public office,Union Minister for Micro,Small and Medium Enterprises Virbhadra Singh resigned today.

Speaking to the media after submitting his resignation to the Prime Minister,the five-time chief minister of Himachal Pradesh said nobody had asked him to step down. This is my moral duty as I did not want to embarrass my party,PM or government, he said.

Singh said his resignation should not be seen as an admission of guilt,adding that he was going to fight the case in court. The Congress also pointed out that he had not been indicted by court.

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A Rashtrapati Bhawan spokesperson said the President had accepted Singhs resignation with immediate effect. Science and Tchnology Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has been given additional charge of the MSME ministry.

Accusing Himachal Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal of targeting his political opponents,Singh said he was the most corrupt and biggest lier.

In the last 50 years,I have handled many portfolios like tourism and steel… during my tenure nobody questioned my integrity or that of my family, he said.

The corruption case against Singh,dating back to 1989,has come into focus ahead of the Assembly elections in Himachal due by the end of this year.

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Singh is the third minister in the UPA-II government to quit following charges of corruption,after A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran.

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