Union Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran quits

Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran has submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, informed sources said Thursday, a day after the CBI alleged that he forced telecom promoter C. Sivasankaran to sell his Aircel stake to the Maxis group considered close to his family.

The DMK leader is learnt to have submitted his resignation to the prime minister after attending what turned out to be his last cabinet meeting as a union minister, the sources said.

Maran attends Cabinet meeting

Earlier, Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran, who is in the eye of a storm in the wake of the CBI’s report to Supreme Court implicating him in the 2G spectrum scam, attended a meeting of the Union Cabinet on Thursday and made no offer to resign.

Mr. Maran came a little late to the meeting which started at 1100 hours.

On Wednesday, the CBI placed a status report on the 2G scam probe in the Supreme Court in which it alleged that Mr. Maran had “forced” Aircel owner to sell its stakes in favour of a Malayasian firm which was granted spectrum licence.

Later, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters that Maran was present “like all of us were.”

“There was no discussion about him or from his side,” she said in reply to questions, adding that the press briefing was meant only to give out decisions taken at the cabinet meeting. (The Hindu)