President accepts seven ministers' resignations

President Pranab Mukherjee has accepted the resignations of seven members of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's council of ministers, including SM Krishna (external affairs) and Ambika Soni (information and broadcasting), it was announced today.

President Pranab Mukherjee has accepted the resignations of seven members of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's council of ministers, including SM Krishna (external affairs) and Ambika Soni (information and broadcasting), it was announced on Saturday.

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A Rastrapati Bhavan communique said that four ministers of of cabinet rank and three ministers of state put in their papers and these have been accepted on the prime minister's advice.

"The president of India, as advised by the prime minister, has accepted the resignation of the seven members of the union council of ministers with immediate effect," the communique said.

Among the other ministers who quit ahead of a major cabinet reshuffle on Sunday were include Mukul Wasnik (social justice and empowerment) and Subodh Kant Sahai (tourism).

Former Lok Sabha speaker PA Sangma's daughter Agatha Sangma, who represented the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the government, quit as minister of state for rural development.

Her father had resigned from NCP to contest the presidential polls three months ago. Since then, he has gone on to head a party of tribals.

The other ministers of state who quit are Mahadeo Singh Khandela (tribal affairs), and Vincent Pala (water resources and minority affairs).