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Onkar Singh in Delhi
In a surprise development all the six ministers in the Sheila Dikshit's Delhi government handed over their resignations to the chief minister on Wednesday.
The ministers according to party sources gave their resignation letters to the Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit so as to enable her to reconstitute her cabinet.
Though there had been some talk in the party circles about the removal of Yogananad Shastri from the Cabinet, as the opposition had levelled charges of corruption against the minister, but the resignations by other ministers took the party leaders by surprise.
A senior leader of Congress leader told rediff.com that the resignations by all the ministers became a necessity as Shastri, who held the portfolio of food and civil supplies in the Dikshit government, had refused to tender his resignation.
"The charges of corruption against Shastri were too serious to be ignored and the Congress president had given the Dikshit green signal to drop Shastri from her council of ministers in order to improve the image of the party.
Delhi's municipal elections are scheduled to be held in 2002, and the party did not want to suffer defeat because of corruption charges against one of its ministers.
"That is why all the ministers were asked to resign to give a freehand to chief minister to reconstitute her Cabinet," the Congress leader said.
Dikshit is expected to forward the resignations to the Lt Governor Vijay Kapur for acceptance.
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