Chidambaram offered to quit

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has been playing the peacemaker in view of the spat between Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister P. Chidambaram over the finance ministry's 2G note.

The two ministers met Gandhi separately on Monday evening against the backdrop of finance ministry's March 2011 note to the prime minister's office (PMO) over the 2G spectrum allocation. The letter has caused major differences between two of the most trusted ministers of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has been away in the United States for the United Nations General Assembly meeting.

The first among the two to meet Gandhi was Chidambaram. He reached the Congress chief's 10 Janpath residence soon after Mukherjee's return from the US. The meeting lasted about 20 minutes.

Though the meeting's outcome did not come out officially, Congress sources said that Chidambaram offered to quit if Gandhi felt that it was in the interest of the party or government. Sources said the minister's offer was verbal.

Earlier also, after the finance ministry's 2G note had surfaced, a hurt Chidambaram had spoke to the prime minister on phone and offered his resignation. The prime minister however expressed his full faith in both his ministers insisting there was no need for anybody's resignation.

After Chidambaram, Mukherjee also visited 10, Janpath and met the Congress president.

Earlier, Mukherjee returned from the US late in the afternoon and headed straight to his office in North Block. He refused to comment on the controversial note sent by his ministry insisting that he would speak once the prime minister returns on Tuesday.

Mukherjee was not keen to take any question by the media. "I will have a full press conference after the prime minister comes back to the country. I have nothing to add to what I have already said," he said.

According to sources, Chidambaram, who headed the finance ministry during the time of the 2G scam, has been upset with Mukherjee and was not ready to accept the latter's statements on "no fight" within the government as the latter had not yet retracted its March 2011 note.