Chennai:
DMK President M Karunanidhi arrived in Delhi this evening. Mr Karunanidhi will meet his daughter who is in jail, and Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
Kanimozhi, widely reported to be her father's favourite child, has been in Tihar Jail since the end of May for her alleged link to the telecom scam. A special court in Delhi will decide tomorrow about what charges - if any - she should face. The CBI, which is investigating the scam, and lawyers for those accused have completed their arguments.
Mr Karunanidhi did not clarify whether he will meet Kanimozhi in court tomorrow, or at Tihar Jail, where he has visited her in the past for emotional reunions.
Kanimozhi, a Rajya Sabha MP, recently applied a third time for bail. Considerable controversy was generated after the media reported that the CBI had indicated that this time around, it would not oppose her bail. Kanimozhi's lawyers say because she is a woman and has to look after her young son, she should be allowed to return home.
The Supreme Court, which is monitoring the CBI's investigation, reacted sharply to these reports, suggesting that if the CBI wants to release those jailed for the telecom scam, it should clearly say so.
The swindle was conducted in 2008, when A Raja was Telecom Minister and bestowed sweetheart deals upon companies he allegedly conspired with to gyp the country of millions. Mr Raja gave mobile network licenses with spectrum at throwaway prices to firms that were ineligible, according to the CBI. Like Mr Raja, the executives of those companies have been arrested.
Kanimozhi stands accused of allowing a TV channel partly owned by her in Chennai to serve as the resting place for a massive kickback to Mr Raja from Swan Telecom. She has denied the charges.
Her arrest has tested the political collaboration between the DMK and the Congress. The parties contested the Tamil Nadu elections together earlier this year, with disastrous consequences. The DMK delivered one of its worst performances ever. Mr Karunanidhi has repeatedly stressed that his party is not about to pull out of the UPA coalition at the centre - where it brings the considerable might of 16 Lok Sabha MPs. But privately, sources close to him say, he is upset with the CBI's investigation and feels the agency has singled out his daughter unfairly.