Indian Minister Resigns Ahead of Cabinet Reshuffle

Posted October 26th, 2012 at 9:20 am (UTC-5)
Leave a comment

India's external Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna has resigned ahead of a Cabinet reshuffle that is expected by Sunday.

Indian officials say Krishna sent his resignation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday.

The reshuffle is seen as a bid by Mr. Singh to improve the image of his ruling Congress Party, which has been hit by a series of high-profile corruption scandals.

Rahul Gandhi, the son of slain prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, is expected to win a seat in the reshuffled Cabinet.

The 80-year-old Krishna, a veteran Indian politician, is a member of the Congress Party. He has served as external affairs minister for more than three years.

One of the scandals in India involved the sale in 2010 of mobile phone licenses at below market prices, which is said to have cost the government up to $40 billion. There were also allegations of widespread graft during the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which were hosted by India.