A day after he and his wife were slapped with conspiracy and corruption charges, Union Minister Virbhadra Singh resigned from the Cabinet today.

According to reports, Congress veteran and former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister reached PM residence and gave his resignation.

His resignation has been accepted by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Addressing the media after submitting his resignation to the PM, Virbhadra said, “I do not want to embarrass my party. Apart from the courts, I will keep my case in the court of the people.”

He vowed to expose present chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, saying: “I want to tell you that these allegations surfaced after Prem Kumar Dhumal became the CM. Will expose Dhumal and his associates.”

Ahead of his resignation, Virbhadra claimed that he will prove his innoncence.Reports also quoted Virbhadra as saying that nobody had asked him to resign and that he will expose Dhumal or any other leader behind the conspiracy against him.

Sources close to Virbhadra Singh say that he is resigning on moral grounds to avoid embarrassment to Congress party.

The Union Minister for Small, Micro and Medium Industries, was under attack from all corners after a court of Himachal Pradesh slapped Virbhadra and his wife Pratibha Singh with charges of conspiracy and corruption in a 23-year-old case.

Charges were framed against 78-year-old Singh, Union Minister for Small, Micro and Medium Industries, and his wife Pratibha Singh under Section 120 B (conspiracy) of IPC and Sections 7,11 and 13 of Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) dealing with bribery and criminal

The case against Singh goes back to 1989 when he was Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. The charges are based on an audio CD that purportedly contains a conversation with IAS officer Mohinder Lal and some industrialists regarding monetary transactions for them to invest in the state.