NEW DELHI: Union minister Virbhadra Singh has resigned from the Union Cabinet, a day after a court in Shimla framed corruption charges against him.

Virbhadra Singh reached 7RCR on Tuesday to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and submit his resignation.

The Prime Minister accepted his resignation and has forwarded it to the President.

Speaking to reporters after resigning, Virbhadra Singh said that he decided to step down on moral grounds as he did not want to embarrass the party.
I did not want my party, government and the Prime Minister to face any difficulties on my count, he said.

He blamed Himachal Pradesh chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal for the charges against him.

Virbhadra Singh said his resignation should not be seen as an admission of his guilt as he was going to fight the case to its logical end.

He said he will not only fight this in the courts but also take the matter to the people’s court.

The former union minister blamed Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal of teaming up with his political opponents to malign his image.

Why is Team Anna blind to cases of corruption of the BJP government in Himachal Pradesh? he questioned.

On Monday a court in Shimla had framed corruption charges against Virbhadra Singh and his wife Pratibha Singh.

Virbhadra Singh and Pratibha Singh were booked by Himachal Pradesh Police on Aug 3, 2009, under the Prevention of Corruption Act for alleged misuse of official position and criminal misconduct when he was the chief minister in 1989.