Singhvi likely to explain why he resigned in Rajya Sabha

Sources close to Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi allege that the sex CD is part of a political conspiracy to tarnish him and ensure that he is not a candidate for ministership in the reshuffle. Renu Mittal reports

Rajasthan Congress Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi has resigned from the chairmanship of Parliament's standing committee for law and justice as well as from the post of spokesman of the Congress party after the Congress party instructed him to do so on the eve of the reconvened budget session of Parliament that begins on Tuesday.

A sex CD of Abhishek Singhvi has been out but since he got an injunction from the high court against telecasting it, none of the television channels showed the contents of the CD. However, the CD went viral on You Tube and other social networking sites, making it impossible to stop its public exposure.

With the Bharatiya Janata Party raising the issue on the eve of the second half of the budget session, demanding an explanation and asking questions and threatening to stall the Parliament over this, the Congress party went into damage control mode and decided to cut its losses before the issue was used by the opposition to embarrass the Congress party.

Singhvi is also the chairman of the All India Congress Committee's legal department but has so far not resigned from that position. Sources said that the departments are going to be reorganised soon and hinted that Singhvi may be eased out of that position as well and would be replaced by someone else.

A senior Congress leader admitted that Singhvi was asked to put in his papers and also said that he is likely to offer a personal explanation in the Rajya Sabha over why he resigned. While the party cannot be asked, nor the individual forced to make a statement, according to the rules, an individual can give a personal explanation before the house, which is what Singhvi is likely to do.

The Congress spokesman was reelected for a second term to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan and interestingly took oath in the chairman's chamber during the break while the rest of the elected Rajya Sabha MPs would take oath on Tuesday when the budget session reconvenes after the break.

The CD which is doing the rounds is an old one. Sources close to Singhvi allege that it is part of a political conspiracy to tarnish him and ensure that he is not a candidate for ministership in the reshuffle that is on the cards after the session ends.

In his resignation letter sent to the party, Abhishek Singh said he was resigning "only to prevent even the slightest possible parliamentary disruption" regarding the purported CD. He said since he was a disciplined party soldier he did not think it fit to subject the party to any inconvenience on this account. He said "all allegations are patently baseless and false".

He has also denied that there was any offer of a post to anyone or any inappropriate conversation in the CD. He said there is no reference to any illegality, corrupt practice, or wrongdoing.