New Delhi:
For now, the DMK is standing by its man.
Despite A Raja's arrest on charges as serious as criminal conspiracy, the DMK has expressed its confidence in his innocence.
The party declared today that his arrest doesn't mean he's guilty. "The DMK is like an open book on this issue," the party said after an important meeting of its senior-most leaders in Chennai.
Mr Raja was arrested in Delhi by the CBI on Wednesday. He is accused of violating government guidelines when he was the Telecom Minister in 2008 to benefit a few telecom operators when 2G spectrum was being allocated for mobile network licenses. The sum of the mistakes made by Mr Raja, according to the government's auditor, could total Rs 1.76 lakh crore. (2G scam: Ex-Telecom Minister Raja arrested)
The DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M Karunanidhi, has said in the past that the party will take action against Mr Raja, a massively popular Dalit leader, when and if he is found guilty.
After his arrest, party sources said that the corruption charges against Mr Raja were unlikely to matter much to rural voters, who are not interested in the 2G scam.
In December, the DMK organized a series of public rallies to project Mr Raja as a deserving leader.
Mr Raja's arrest, months before Tamil Nadu votes for its next government, has been a windfall for the Opposition. J Jayalalithaa, who is the leader of the AIADMK, has wasted no time in targeting the DMK and the Centre for trying to cover up the corruption within its ranks. (Read: Jayalalithaa's entire statement on Raja arrest)
Despite A Raja's arrest on charges as serious as criminal conspiracy, the DMK has expressed its confidence in his innocence.
The party declared today that his arrest doesn't mean he's guilty. "The DMK is like an open book on this issue," the party said after an important meeting of its senior-most leaders in Chennai.
Mr Raja was arrested in Delhi by the CBI on Wednesday. He is accused of violating government guidelines when he was the Telecom Minister in 2008 to benefit a few telecom operators when 2G spectrum was being allocated for mobile network licenses. The sum of the mistakes made by Mr Raja, according to the government's auditor, could total Rs 1.76 lakh crore. (2G scam: Ex-Telecom Minister Raja arrested)
The DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M Karunanidhi, has said in the past that the party will take action against Mr Raja, a massively popular Dalit leader, when and if he is found guilty.
After his arrest, party sources said that the corruption charges against Mr Raja were unlikely to matter much to rural voters, who are not interested in the 2G scam.
In December, the DMK organized a series of public rallies to project Mr Raja as a deserving leader.
Mr Raja's arrest, months before Tamil Nadu votes for its next government, has been a windfall for the Opposition. J Jayalalithaa, who is the leader of the AIADMK, has wasted no time in targeting the DMK and the Centre for trying to cover up the corruption within its ranks. (Read: Jayalalithaa's entire statement on Raja arrest)
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