After backing him strongly, DMK tonight said it had asked Union Telecom Minister A Raja to resign over the 2G spectrum issue to ensure smooth functioning of Parliament so that issues of public importance were taken up.
The DMK said some opposition parties were stalling the Parliament in a "pre-planned" manner demanding Raja's resignation though he had only followed the procedure adopted by the Department of Telecommunication since 1999 in allocation of spectrum.
"To ensure Parliment proceedings continued and issues of public importance are discussed and decided, DMK decided that Raja should resign from the cabinet tonight itself and directed him accordingly," a brief DMK headquarters release
said here.
The party statement came shortly after Raja announced in New Delhi his resignation, capping intense campaign by opposition parties, led by BJP and AIADMK, against him citing the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) findings, which reportedly indicted the Minister.
Raja had met DMK President M Karunanidhi twice -- last night and early this morning -- since arriving here amid reports that Congress had opened back channels to convince the DMK to agree to drop him.
DMK had been consistently maintaining that Raja was not guilty of any wrongdoings and had only followed his predecessors in allocation of spectrum.
{{/usCountry}}DMK had been consistently maintaining that Raja was not guilty of any wrongdoings and had only followed his predecessors in allocation of spectrum.
{{/usCountry}}Before his departure for Delhi, Raja had told reporters that there was no need for him to resign.