Chennai:
The DMK has decided to legally fight the accusations of corruption against Kanimozhi, the daughter of the party chief, M Karunanidhi.
Thirty senior leaders of the DMK met in Chennai this morning to discuss the case against Kanimozhi. The DMK has decided it will not opt out of the UPA coalition where it holds 18 MPs and six union ministers.
"There's a major attempt by political leaders and sections of media to dethrone DMK chief Karunanidhi," said a statement released by the party.
The DMK has been vocal about its resentment since Kanimozhi was chargesheeted by the CBI on Monday for conspiring with former Telecom Minister A Raja to accept a 214-crore kickback in the telecom scam. Mr Raja is also from the DMK and is now in jail. The party has criticized the "highly-publicized" interrogation of Kanimozhi and her stepmother, Dayalu Ammal, a few weeks ago. The DMK has also objected to the chargesheet against Kanimozhi being leaked to the media last week, ahead of it being formally presented by the CBI in court.
When Mr Raja was Telecom Minister, he allegedly sold spectrum and mobile network licenses to companies at throwaway prices in return for super-size kickbacks. One of those bribes was routed to Kalaignar TV, owned largely by Kanimozhi, Dayalu Ammal and Sharad Kumar who serves as the Managing Director. Like Kanimozhi, Mr Kumar has been charged with corruption by the CBI. They have been summoned on May 6 by the Delhi court trying the 2G scam. "She is not Jayalalithaa," said Mr Karunanidhi when asked if Kanimozhi would keep that appointment.
The CBI has not bought Kanimozhi's explanation - that the cheque for Rs. 214 crore sent to Kalaignar by Swan Telecom was an advance against equity; and that when the deal fell apart, the money was returned with interest. "The DMK is surprised that Kanimozhi and Sharad Kumar have been included in CBI's supplementary chargesheet despite submitting documentary evidence to prove the 200 crore transaction was a loan," said the DMK resolution issued today after the meeting.
The DMK may believe the Congress has not shown it the respect that political allies merit from each other; but the fact is that the option before the party are in the slim to none category. Tamil Nadu has just voted for its next government - the DMK and Congress contested the election together. If the result is indecisive, the DMK will need the Congress to push it back into power. If Jayalalithaa's AIADMK wins, the DMK may need the Congress more than ever to protect it from a vengeful rival in a state where court cases are frequently used to settle political scores.