2G Scam: Union Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran Resigns From Cabinet

NEW DELHI: A day after he was nailed by the CBI in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, Union textile minister Dayanidhi Maran on Thursday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and handed over his resignation.

Maran's resignation came minutes after the cabinet meeting ended.

According to Times Now, Dayanidhi Maran was the first to leave 7 Race Course Road, Prime Minister's residence, soon after the meeting ended. He is scheduled to fly out to Chennai later this evening.

Maran's resignation comes ahead of a cabinet reshuffle that may happen as early as next week. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was under pressure to drop him to signal a tough stance against a raft of graft cases that have emerged in recent months.

Maran declined to make any comment when television reporters asked him if he had left the cabinet.

Earlier in the day, BJP leader Arun Jaitley had said that Dayanidhi Maran had run out of options and he should quit. He further added that the Prime Minister cannot look away after the developments in connection with the 2G scam.

AIADMK too had said that there was no use expecting Dayanidhi Maran to take responsibility and the Prime Minister should simply drop him.

On Wednesday, the CBI told the Supreme Court that its preliminary inquiry into the allegation of Sivasankaran, a serial entrepreneur known as Siva in business circles, suggested that Maran starved Aircel of new licences to bully him into selling out.