S M Krishna resigns Saturday

Indian External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna resigned on Friday ahead of a major cabinet reshuffle on Sunday, local media reported. The 80-year-old foreign minister is likely to take charge of Congress party affairs in his native state of Karnataka in south India after his resignation, said the reports. However, local TV channel CNN-IBN quoted unnamed sources as reporting that he is expected to submit his resignation letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday. His replacement is widely believed to be the current Minister of Industry and Commerce Anand Sharma, who once served as foreign secretary in the Congress-led government. The resignation is also a clear indication that the Union Council of Ministers is set for a revamp on Sunday with the induction of new faces considered close to Rahul Gandhi and elevation of some young ministers of state, said local newspaper Times of India. Whether Gandhi himself would join the government or not was still a matter of speculation though sources say that sometime back he was inclined towards such a possibility, said the report.