Tharoor outside Parliament on Friday. He tabled a statement in the Lok Sabha defending his position. (AFP)

Modi at Dharamshala airport on his way to the match between Kings XI Punjab and the Deccan Chargers on Friday. (PTI)

New Delhi, April 16: The Congress leadership has asked Shashi Tharoor to resign but the junior foreign minister has held his ground, saying that he would rather wait for the Prime Minister to return from his foreign trip.

Tharoor had met senior leaders Pranab Mukherjee and A.K. Antony on Wednesday night when he was told to quit. Not only did he want to talk to Manmohan Singh first, but also wished to meet Sonia Gandhi to present his version.

The minister of state for external affairs held this position despite knowing that the two leaders had already had two exhaustive meetings with the party president.

Yesterday, Tharoor called on Sonia. After watching with alarm the way the media had interpreted the meeting as signalling some sort of a reprieve for the minister, Sonia’s aides let it be known today that the Congress chief had by no means given him a clean chit.

One of her aides also said that Tharoor should resign, making it clear it was his “personal opinion”. This is a euphemism for conveying the view of the high command.

The Prime Minister is returning tomorrow afternoon after being forced to take a detour because of the closed airspace over Europe.

By Monday, when Parliament reopens after being brought to a standstill today, the party leadership wants Tharoor to leave.

Tharoor’s resistance, however, has led to questions if he would readily step aside after having his desired meeting with the Prime Minister. If he does not, the party will have to dismiss him, an option the leadership would rather not exercise.

Some leaders have suggested a way out by setting up a committee to study the available evidence. If there is proof of wrongdoing, the committee can suggest Tharoor’s exit. But this option will be chosen only if the party wants to delay his ouster.

Most leaders would prefer Tharoor to quit on his own as any stalemate is bound to create further embarrassment for the party.

Mukherjee gave him permission to explain his position in Parliament today over allegations that his friend, Sunanda Pushkar, had received free equity on his behalf from the consortium that won the Kochi team in the latest Indian Premier League bidding.

“The allegations against me which have been seized upon by honourable members of the Opposition are baseless, ill-founded and ill-motivated. I trust that I have clarified my position to the satisfaction of this august House,” the minister said.

The Congress leadership thought there was no harm in watching Parliament’s reaction to Tharoor’s personal explanation and allowed him to go ahead without any minister or senior leader speaking in his favour.

Even the spokespersons have chosen not to defend him and have asked the media to wait for the Prime Minister’s decision.

Now that the Opposition has rejected his explanation and paralysed Parliament, there is greater pressure on Tharoor to step down.