India’s ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi resigned from Parliament on Thursday following opposition allegations that she had breached parliamentary regulations by holding other salaried posts.
“Following the principles of probity and my inner conscience I am resigning my post in the Parliament,” she told reporters.
“I have done this because I think it is the right thing to do.”
Gandhi also said she was standing down as chairperson of the government’s National Advisory Council. Right-wing opponents had charged that Ghandi was breaking parliamentary regulations by holding both positions.
The Congress leader, credited with carrying the party to a surprise victory in May 2004 elections, vowed to run again for her seat.
Gandhi read a brief statement in Hindi and English after party elders failed to persuade her to tough out the opposition charges.
Her surprise resignation came after left-wing allies of Congress in Parliament refused to back a government move to push through rule changes on the holding of multiple posts.
Main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley accused Congress of trying to subvert Parliament and the Constitution to try to save Gandhi from being disqualified as an MP.
A member of the upper house was forced to step down earlier this month for combining her membership of the upper house with a chairpersonship of a state film board. – AFP