Taking responsibility for the worst Naxalite carnage on security forces, Home Minister P Chidambaram offered his resignation from the Cabinet to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who today rejected it.
"The Home Minister gave it (his resignation) in writing day before yesterday. The Prime Minister rejected it," a PMO spokesman said today, shortly after the minister gave enough hints that he had offered to resign.
Chidambaram, who had come under attack from Left parties for telling West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya that "the buck stops with you" on ending political violence in the state, said at a CRPF function this morning that "I have been asked directly or indirectly where the back stops for what happened in Dantewada.
"I have no no hesitation saying the buck stops at my desk. I accept full responsibility for what happened in Dantewada".
64-year-old Chidambaram is also believed to have conveyed his intention to quit to Congress President Sonia Gandhi but there was no no official word on that.
Speaking at the "Valour Day" function of the CRPF, the Minister said that on Wednesday immediately on his return from Dantewada in Chhattisgarh, where 75 CRPF personnel were killed by Maoists, he called on the Prime Minister and gave him in writing that that "I accept full responsibility for what happened (in Dantewada)".
Tantalisingly he left everyone guessing when he said "And I think I will stop there. Let me not not elaborate."
Soon speculation mounted that Chidambaram may have given his resignation letter to Prime Minister shortly after he came back from Jagdalpur where he had paid his last respects to the slain security personnel.
Chidambaram also refused to oblige reporters in the Home Ministry when he declined to say whether he had offered resignation in the wake of speculation triggered by his morning speech.
Moments later the PMO announced that the Prime Minister had rejected Chidambaram's resignation given in writing.
In the early '90s, Chidambaram had resigned as Minister of State for Commerce at the time of securities scam when there were reports that his wife had bought shares in a scam-tainted company.
He was taken back into the government by the then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao after a Joint Parliamentary Committee that went into the scam gave him a clean chit after finding there was no no wrong doing by him or his family members.
Hounded by the strong citicism from the Left parties about the brutal killing of 76 security men belonging to CRPF at the hands of lawless, anti-India Naxals/Maoists, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram had tendered his resignation to the PM during a meeting with PM, acceping full responsibility as Union Home Minister. Out of his magnanimity, though not totally to blame, P. Chidambram's resignation should make left government of WB to ponder over whether the entire blame for this mishap should rest with Union Home Minister, absolving the WB state governemnt from any responsibility for the Naxals/maoists hostile acts.
Mr.P Chidambaram please stop talking and start taking action to combat Maoists without revealing it to the media. There is no point offering resignation after Tuesday's Maoist attack in Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh. The failure is not yours' but of Government of India as a whole. Please don't find fault with Chief Ministers of Maoist affected states. Share responsibility with them and conduct joint operations to finish off the Maoists.
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