Dehradun, June 18: Even as the Madhumita murder case that led to the sacking of a UP minister continues to hog the limelight, another minister - Harak Singh Rawat from Uttaranchal - resigned today amid allegations of his having an affair with an unwed mother who gave birth to a child last week. The revenue minister, who also handles the state's food and civil supplies portfolio, said a copy of his resignation had been sent to the chief minister and another to the Governor. ‘I am resigning on moral grounds. I will not enter the Vidhansabha till I clear myself'', Singh said in a choked voice, as he demanded a CBI inquiry into the entire episode.
"The charges are totally false and this is a conspiracy to malign me either by the state chief secretary or politicians from my own party as my name was in the contention for the state pradesh Congress president," Rawat said. Earlier today the Zenie (the name of the unwed mother) case rocked the House leading to four adjournments with opposition members protesting that the administration was not allowing opposition members to meet Zenie. The minister announced his resignation in the house at 1500 hrs today, before the parliamentary committee could give in its report to the Speaker on the case. Rawat had been linked to Zenie, an unwed mother, who gave birth to a boy in Doon Hospital on June 9. Bureau Report