Patil resigns over Mumbai terror attacks

New Delhi, Nov 30: Home Minister Shivraj Patil resigned today, owning moral responsibility for the Mumbai terror attacks which claimed nearly 200 lives last week.

The resignation letter, which was sent to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, has been accepted and will soon be forwarded to President Pratibha Devisingh Patil who is in Indonesia, highly-placed sources said.

The resignation comes hours before an all party meeting convened by the Prime Minister to discuss the terror attacks.

Mr Patil sent his resignation to Dr Singh after Congress chief Sonia Gandhi hinted at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting last night that somebody had to take moral responsibility for the attacks.

''In tune with the legacy of the Congress to own moral responsibily for an unforeseen tragedy, Mr Patil has resigned,'' party chief spokesperson Veerappa Moily told reporters.

Several more heads, especially of bureaucrats in the Home Ministry, are expected to roll in the wake of the terror attacks.

In the imminent reshuffle of the Union Cabinet, Finance Minister P Chidambaram is expected to replace Mr Patil as Home Minister, though External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's name is also doing the rounds.

The Finance portfolio is most likely to be kept by the Prime Minister himself, sources said.

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