Razi denies reports of quitting

Assam governor Syed Sibtey Razi has denied reports that prime minister Manmohan Singh advised him to step down, while the prime minister’s office (PMO) distanced itself from the controversy regarding Razi’s alleged involvement in corruption cases when he was Jharkhand governor.

Razi met home minister P Chidambaram, apparently to explain his side of the story. Emerging after the brief meeting, Razi dismissed as “absolutely false” reports that the PM directed him to resign in the light of raids on the premises of two of his close aides in Jharkhand.

He ruled out the possibility of his stepping down before his term ends. “I am not going to resign. I was governor, I am a governor and will be governor till October (when his term ends),” he said.

On reports that the PM asked him to quit, Razi said, “There is no indication from the PM. I have no idea what is the basis of the report. Whatever has come in the media is false.”

A senior PMO official, too, discounted reports that the PM had asked Razi to quit.
Reports about Razi being asked to quit surfaced after the Centre gave the new Jharkhand governor its green signal to act against three former state ministers involved in corruption cases.

Although the investigating agencies had found ample evidence of their involvement, no action was taken against them. Two of the ministers had surrendered before the state police on Monday.