Earlier, reports said Ramesh had made the resignation offer to the prime minister when he was ticked off over his controversial remarks shortly after returning from Beijing on Monday.
Environment minister Jairam Ramesh has strongly denied reports that he had offered to resign from the Union cabinet in wake of his controversial Beijing remarks. “I have not made any offer to resign. I only clarified my position to the prime minister and Congress leadership on the controversy,” he said. The party also echoed his views.
Earlier, reports said Ramesh had made the resignation offer to the prime minister when he was ticked off over his controversial remarks shortly after returning from Beijing on Monday. But the prime minister had reportedly declined the same. Sources say Ramesh had sent a written clarification to Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, maintaining that he was “misquoted” on the issue but “made no written offer to resign”.
Official sources in the PMO, however, did not rule out the possibility of Ramesh having made the offer verbally. The PM had spoken to Ramesh after his clarification was found “untenable”, particularly in light of a letter shot off to the PM by home minister P Chidambaram.
The home minister had, reportedly, expressed his strong displeasure over Ramesh charging his ministry and the security establishment for its “alarmist and paranoid” approach to Chinese investments in India.
Official sources said the PM instructed Ramesh to meet Chidambaram and explain his position over the controversy.
Ramesh had called on Chidambaram on Wednesday.
There has also been some speculation that Ramesh, whose term in Rajya Sabha comes to an end on June 21, may not be given a re-nomination to the upper house. The Congress’s Andhra Pradesh unit is opposed to his re-nomination from the state.
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