New Delhi:
As his daughter Kanimozhi is set to apply for bail on Monday after charges were framed against her in the 2G case, DMK chief M Karunanidhi has decided to stand by, who many say is his favourite child, and stay on in Delhi.
Mr Karunaidhi had arrived in the national capital on Friday evening and met Ms Kanimozhi yesterday at the Tihar Jail, where she has been lodged since May 21 after being arrested for her alleged role in the 2G spectrum case.
The DMK patriarch also met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh later in the evening at the latter's residence, 7 Race Course Road.
Mr Karunanidhi also met Congress President Sonia Gandhi earlier during the day before visiting Ms Kanimozhi. The meeting, which lasted for nearly 15 minutes - was described by the DMK as a "courtesy call" as Mr Karunanidhi wanted to enquire about Mrs Gandhi's health after she underwent surgery for an undisclosed illness in the United States. But, the timing of the meeting was significant in that it came on a day when the court hearing the 2G case was scheduled to frame charges against all the accused, including his daughter, Ms Kanimozhi. Interestingly, it was the first meeting between the duo since the Congress-DMK alliance suffered a severe drubbing in the Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu - their worst ever electoral defeat. Worse followed as Ms Kanimozhi was arrested in May for her alleged involvement in the 2G scam. Mr Karunanidhi came down to Delhi twice during this period to visit his daughter but steered clear of a meeting with Mrs Gandhi.
Mr Karunanidhi's decision to camp in the capital is reflective of a growing confidence as his daughter is set to apply for bail on Monday. The court will resume hearing on the bail applications, including that of Ms Kanimozhi, from Monday.
Ms Kanimozhi, a Rajya Sabha MP, recently applied a third time for bail. Considerable controversy was generated after the media reported that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had indicated that this time around, it would not oppose her bail. Her lawyers contend that she should be allowed to go home as she is a woman and has to look after her young son.
Along with 13 other individuals and three companies, Ms Kanimozhi was told the court has accepted all the charges levelled by the CBI - they include criminal conspiracy to cause criminal breach of trust by a public servant which comes with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Her arrest added a new stress-test case to her father's alliance with the Congress, which delivered disastrous results in the Tamil Nadu elections in May. Mr Karunanidhi was voted out as Chief Minister with the DMK embarrassed by one of its worst electoral scoreboards. Both Mr Karunanidhi and the Congress say a divorce is not on the cards. For the UPA coalition at the Centre, the DMK's 18 Lok Sabha MPs are prize assets.
The 2G scam has torn through the DMK with furious force. A Raja, the charismatic Dalit leader of the party is in jail for allegedly masterminding the swindle. Ms Kanimozhi has been accused of helping him accept a kickback from a company he obliged with a mobile network license. And Dayanidhi Maran, who is Mr Karunanidhi's grandnephew, is being investigated for misusing his office as Telecom Minister before Mr Raja stepped in. Mr Maran had to resign as Union Minister after the CBI said it has evidence that he deliberately delayed licenses for a company named Aircel till the owner agreed to sell the telecom to an entrepreneur named T Ananda Krishnan close to Mr Maran's family. The CBI says Mr Ananda Krishnan of the Maxis Group repaid Mr Maran by depositing 600 crores in a company owned by his brother. And that Mr Maran ensured the pending licenses for Aircel were expedited once it was bought by Maxis.
At the DMK chief's hotel in Delhi yesterday morning, Mr Maran was reportedly seen at Mr Karunanidhi's side, suggesting that reports of an estrangement between the family members may not be correct. Earlier this month, Mr Karunanidhi said, "I treat my daughter Ms Kanimozhi and the Maran brothers equally."