DMK undecided on Maran, Raja's replacement in Cabinet

New Delhi: The DMK has lost two ministers in the Cabinet in eight months, but the party is yet to decide on replacing Dayanidhi Maran with other candidates for now.

The decision was conveyed by senior leader TR Baalu. "We have not decided on replacement to Dayanidhi Maran", Mr Baalu said. The statement came after Mr Maran met DMK boss M Karunanidhi at the latter's residence in Chennai today. This is the first meeting between the duo after Mr Maran resigned yesterday over allegations of corruption during his tenure as Telecom Minister from 2004 till mid-2007. 

Sources had earlier told NDTV that the DMK was not looking at a replacement for A Raja as well. Mr Raja, the former Telecom Minister, is currently in jail.

Mr Raja resigned in November; he has been accused of corruption and of engineering India's biggest swindle, the 2G telecom scam. Mr Raja incidentally took over from Mr Maran after the latter quit as Telecom Minister in 2007.

Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee is in Chennai and is expected to meet DMK leader M Karunanidhi today.

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After Mr Maran quit as Union Textiles Minister in Delhi, Mr Karunanidhi told reporters in Chennai that he had not sent a list of candidates to replace him to Sonia Gandhi or the Prime Minister.  His comments came amidst speculation that senior DMK leader TR Baalu would be inducted into the cabinet at the next reshuffle, expected shortly.

Mr Karunanidhi is Mr Maran's grand-uncle. Sources close to the DMK President say that for now, his priority remains his daughter, Kanimozhi, who is in jail along with Mr Raja for allegedly accepting a bribe along with him from a company that won undue favours when Mr Raja allotted mobile network licenses and spectrum in 2008.

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Kanimozhi was taken into Tihar Jail in Delhi in May, a day after the DMK was routed in the Tamil Nadu state elections. Mr Karunanidhi was voted out as Chief Minister.

The DMK fought the election with the Congress.  The dismal performance of the alliance and the arrest of Kanimozhi by the CBI have been strangling the partnership that Mr Karunanidhi holds with the Congress at the Centre.  With 18 Lok Sabha MPs, his party is a formidable partner in the Congress-led UPA coalition.

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Sources say that in end-July, the DMK will hold an executive meeting to decide whether to continue its alliance with the Congress.