Embattled Union telecom minister A Raja resigned on Sunday night after putting up an obstinate fight to stay put despite the mounting pressure from the opposition and the Congress to quit over the 2G spectrum allocation scam.
The resignation comes ahead of today’s Supreme Court hearing of two petitions alleging his involvement in the spectrum scam and the growing view in the UPA that his continuance was getting untenable.
What seems to have prompted his decision is the veiled threat to the DMK issued by prime minister (PM) Manmohan Singh after the Congress core committee meet at noon.
The party’s leadership, which had so far been standing solidly behind Raja, seems to have given up after Singh’s stern message that the minister must quit tonight. Raja, who had maintained that he won’t resign till a few hours ago, rushed to a meeting with the PM late in the evening and handed over the letter.
The PM has decided to retain the telecom portfolio until further orders.
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