U'khand minister quits

Uttarakhand minister Prem Chand Aggarwal resigned from the Cabinet on Sunday, weeks after his remark in the assembly on people from the state's hill regions had sparked protests.

- PTI

Aggarwal, who held key portfolios, including finance and parliamentary affairs, submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at his official residence, according to a statement.

Speaking to reporters before tendering his resignation, Aggarwal was overcome with emotion while referring to his role in the Uttarakhand statehood movement.

He said it was unfair to target someone "who played an important role" in the creation of Uttarakhand and endured police action.

He referred to the 1994 firing on Uttarakhand statehood activists in Muzaffarnagar, and said he immediately boarded a truck from Delhi to Meerut, reaching the spot to help the injured.