Going down memory lane: UPA-II’s graft-tainted ministers of the past
Railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and law minister Ashwani Kumar were not the first ones from the UPA-II to have resigned on corruption charges. Earlier, many others had stepped down on similar charges:
Railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and law minister Ashwani Kumar were not the first ones from the UPA-II to have resigned on corruption charges. Earlier, many others had stepped down on similar charges:
A Raja — The DMK leader held the portfolio of communication and information technology when an alleged scam in allocation of 2G spectrum surfaced. A report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said it cost the exchequer Rs. 1.76 lakh crore. He resigned on Nov 14, 2010, and was arrested in February 2011.
Dayanihdhi Maran — DMK leader Maran resigned from the post of textile minister in July 2011 over allegations that as the telecom minister he had arm-twisted the promoter of mobile service provider Aircel to sell out to Malaysian telecom firm Maxis.
Shashi Tharoor — Even though there were no direct corruption charges against him, Tharoor was in deep waters after the then IPL commissioner Lalit Modi alleged that Sunanda Pushkar, Tharoor’s wife, had equity stakes in Rendezvous Sports World (RSW), heading the consortium that owns the Kochi team in Indian Premier League (IPL).
Tharoor resigned from the post of minister of state for external affairs in April 2010, but was later taken back as the minister of state for human resource development, a portfolio he presently holds.
Virbhadra Singh — Singh had resigned from the post of minister of small, micro and medium industries after a court in Himachal Pradesh framed corruption charges against him and his wife Pratibha. They had been booked for alleged misuse of his official position and criminal misconduct when Singh was the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh in 1989. He led the party to victory in the state elections and is now the chief minister again.