NEW DELHI/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Sheila Dikshit resigned as Kerala Governor on Tuesday, making her the eighth “political appointee” of the UPA Government to quit from the constitutional post, citing “call of conscience”.
Second thoughts on continuing in the post, fighting a hostile NDA Government which was breathing down her neck, led Dikshit to put in her papers, sources close to her told ‘Express’. She also wanted to avoid being snubbed and dumped unceremoniously.
This made her time the exit, taking a cue from K Sankaranarayanan who quit as Maharashtra Governor on Sunday.
The resignation came a day after she met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and President Pranab Mukherjee, fuelling intense speculation of an imminent resignation.
“I have resigned, I did it on Monday and I don’t want to comment further,” Dikshit, a former Delhi Chief Minister, said, adding that she will speak on the issue only after acceptance of the resignation. “I did what my heart said and I should do,” she said.
Dikshit said she had put in her papers on Monday when she met President Pranab Mukherjee though she had kept up the suspense, giving rise to the impression that she would continue till Onam.
Sources indicated that there was a possibility that Dikshit too would have been transferred to a north-eastern state had she insisted on continuing in the post. No sooner had the Modi Government taken over, a controversy had broken out over Home Secretary Anil Goswami’s alleged call to Dikshit asking her to quit.
It is learnt that Sheila Dikshit is planning to stage a comeback in Delhi politics as there is a possibility of Assembly polls being held there soon.
The reverses suffered by the BJP in the recent elections in various states led her to have a rethink, sources said.