New Delhi: Telecom Minister A Raja will not do a Shashi Tharoor. That's the strong message from the DMK, ahead of Karunanidhi's meeting with Sonia Gandhi and the Prime Minister on Monday.
The argument: Raja had just carried on with the first come first serve policy of his predecessors for 2G spectrum allocation, and had kept the Prime Minister in the loop.
The DMK chief is backing Raja who has emerged as the dalit face of the DMK, and enjoys a good rapport with Karunanidhi's family.
That's why, when Karunanidhi's grand nephew Dayanidhi Maran stepped down as IT Minister during UPA 1, Raja was the automatic choice to replace him. He retains the post in UPA 2 as well, though Karunanidhi has patched up with the Maran brothers.
Replying to a question whether Karunanidhi has full confidence in him, Union Telecom and IT Minister, A Raja replied, "I don't want to say anything now."
Raja has got embroiled in two major allegations, the spectrum scam that allegedly led to a loss of 60,000 crore rupees and his alleged telephone call to a Madras high court judge for a favourable order. But so far Karunanidhi has gone soft on him.
The CBI that's probing the spectrum scam recently raided offices of the telecom department, but the DMK maintains Raja is targeted as he's a dalit and the government is yet to act against Raja.
"Who's prerogative is it.....to have or not to have Raja in the cabinet....Is it the PM's or Karunanidhi's? I'd put the blame on Manmohan Singh," said Cho Ramaswamy, Political analyst.
"The charges framed against Raja are so wild," said Salman Khursheed, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs.