New Delhi:
As he arrived late at night to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his home, the writing was on the wall: Shashi Tharoor was on his way out.
A sign of the new times for the Minister of State for External Affairs - he didn't use his official car with the traditional "lal batti" or red beacon, but his private Maruti 1000 for his second meeting with the PM on Sunday which lasted nearly 45 minutes.
And then came the resignation. Tharoor told the PM and Congress President Sonia Gandhi that he didn't want to embarrass the government. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has forwarded Tharoor's resignation to President Pratibha Patil with a recommendation that it may be accepted, a PMO spokesman said.
(Read: Shashi Tharoor, the controversy kid)
A little before midnight, came the announcement that the President of India had accepted Tharoor's resignation from the Council of Ministers with immediate effect. The resignation of Tharoor was sent to the President in Pune where she is on an official visit.
The minister has been accused, by the Opposition, of misusing his position as he lobbied for an IPL franchise for Kochi, one eventually won by a consortium that included as an employee Tharoor's girlfriend, Sunanda Pushkar, who was gifted equity worth 70 crores. The controversy began exactly a week ago, ironically with a tweet on Twitter sent not by Tharoor but by IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi.
After fast-paced events through the week that were embarrassing for the party, the Congress made up its mind at a core committee meeting, earlier on Sunday, that Tharoor had to go. The PM met with Sonia Gandhi, his senior-most ministers Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram and AK Antony and senior leader Ahmad Patel; the Congress core committee reportedly told the PM that it was untenable for Tharoor to continue.
What cinched the deal against Tharoor is, more than anything else, the timing of the controversy. With Parliament in session, the party didn't want the PM to have to defend Tharoor. With crucial legislation pending, the Congress also didn't want to stall Parliament proceedings with the sort of drama witnessed on Friday when Tharoor tried to defend himself and was shouted down by the Opposition. (
Read - IPL tangle: Tharoor's statement in Parliament)
Tharoor, now internally acknowledged as an embarrassment, had annoyed many in the Congress by stoutly refusing to resign. In an interview to NDTV earlier this week, Tharoor had said there was no question of him resigning because he hadn't done "anything wrong". (
Read & watch: Won't resign over IPL controversy: Tharoor to NDTV | Full transcript of Tharoor's interview)
Earlier on Sunday, Tharoor's close friend, Sunanda Pushkar, as reported first by NDTV, decided to surrender the 70-crore stake she was gifted by the consortium that bought the Kochi IPL team for Rs 1,530 crores last month. (
Watch: Sunanda surrenders sweat equity)
Pushkar's offer was seen by some as an attempt to win the Minister of State for External Affairs a reprieve from his party. Her decision, according to the BJP, only proves Tharoor's misconduct as a public servant.
BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said: "The stain of corruption is not washed by return of bribe money." (Watch: Fraud done under minister's patronage, says BJP) After his resignation the opposition party said: "It's a victory of truth." (
Watch: Fraud done under minister's patronage, says BJP)
But speaking to NDTV, Pushkar's lawyer, Ashish Mehta, said her decision had nothing to do with Tharoor. Mehta said she has informed Rendezvous Sports World of the Kochi consortium of her decision. Sharing a statement issued by her, Mehta quoted, "I am a professional with 20 years of experience. Given the deeply unpleasant publicity, I can no longer find the enthusiasm required to associate myself with any IPL activity in the future," Mehta said that Pushkar has returned her sweat equity voluntarily and seeks no compensation for services rendered so far.
On Friday, the Opposition made it impossible for Tharoor to present his defense in Parliament. He was forced to table his statement after his speech was drowned out. The Congress is worried that the PM could be put through similar scenes. (
Read - IPL tangle: Tharoor's statement in Parliament |
IPL row: Shashi Tharoor defends allegations in Parliament)
Tharoor, a writer and a former Under Secretary General in the United Nations, earns the dubious distinction of becoming the first minister in the UPA-II to go under the cloud of corruption charges. (With PTI inputs)