Late on Sunday evening, Shashi Tharoor was on his way to meet the Prime Minister at his residence. But something was not right. The red beacon of his official vehicle, a Maruti Esteem, was conspicuous in its absence.

An ominous sign. So, it was hardly surprising when at about 11 pm, news emerged that the Minister of State for External Affairs had tendered his resignation after a high-level Congress Core Group meet decided that it was time for Tharoor to go.

"Shashi Tharoor, minister of state for external affairs, has submitted his resignation from the council of ministers to the Prime Minister. The prime minister has forwarded his resignation letter to the president with a recommendation that it be accepted," a spokesperson for the Prime Minister's office said.

But a big question remains. Is this the last that India has seen of Shashi Tharoor the minister? Probably not. Government sources told MiD DAY that with the IPL controversy raging, Tharoor's position had become quite untenable. But it is likely that once things cool off and if Tharoor comes out of this row relatively unscathed, he could be accommodated during the next cabinet reshuffle. He is seen as someone quite close to the Gandhi family and, though 54, is counted amongst the bevy of young leaders ushered in by Rahul Gandhi.

His stint as UN Under-Secretary General and his erudition in international politics make him an asset to the government. But many say despite all his knowledge and acumen, Tharoor couldn't grasp the nuances of Indian politics.

Tharoor was accused of using his influence to help his friend, businesswoman Sunanda Pushkar, in acquiring a stake in the Kochi IPL team.

Pushkar, who has a sweat equity valued at Rs 70 crore in the franchise, announced earlier in the day that she had resigned from Rendezvous Sports World, one of the stakeholders in the Kochi IPL franchise. But clearly that was not enough.

A united opposition was baying for Tharoor's blood. Allies like the National Conference and the NCP could embarrass the government in some form, if he stayed on. A majority of Congress leaders themselves were of the view that Tharoor should go, at least for the time being. His position had become quite indefensible. The Congress didn't want the BJP to gain the upper hand by sacking Tharoor, but it also could not afford to let status quo continue. Hence, the middle path approach, quite popular in Indian politics.

Tharoor met the Prime Minister for about 45 minutes on Sunday morning during which he is understood to have explained his position. Later in the day Manmohan Singh met Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her political advisor Ahmed Patel, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Home Minister P Chidambaram and Defence Minister AK Antony. Reports suggest that Sonia Gandhi was particularly aggrieved with the damage the current controversy had done to the party's image. That, in all probability, sealed Tharoor's fate. During his second meeting of the day with Manmohan Singh, Tharoor was asked by the PM to resign.

Deja vu!

Tharoor's exit from UPA-II is not dissimilar to what happened to another Gandhi family loyalist Natwar Singh in UPA-I. On November 7, 2005, Singh was removed from his post as Minister in charge of External Affairs under a cloud of scandal and became a minister without portfolio. Named by the U.N. Independent Enquiry Committee (popularly known as Volcker committee) as a beneficiary of illegal payoffs in Iraqi oil scam, he was forced to resign from the Cabinet on December 6, 2005. Later Singh was also relieved of the primary membership of the party along with his son Jagat Singh. In 2008, Natwar Singh and his son Jagat made the announcement of joining the Bahujan Samaj Party. But 4 months both Natwar and Jagat were expelled by the BSP.

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