I am unlikely to be new IT minister: Kanimozhi

NEW DELHI - DMK chief M. Karunanidhi’s daughter and MP Kanimozhi Monday said she was “unlikely” to take over as communications and IT minister after her party colleague A. Raja resigned over his alleged connection to the 2G spectrum licensing scam.

Unlikely, Kanimozhi said when asked if she was the communications and IT minister in waiting.

Kanimozhi was speaking to IANS in parliament shortly before the Lok Sabha met after days of pandemonium over the 2008 2G spectrum allocation that forced Raja to quit Sunday night.

I am not sure. This is a party decision. The leader (Karunanidhi) of the party has to take a decision, Kanimozhi said.

Speculation is rife that Kanimozhi may replace Raja as the telecom minister. The second name doing the rounds is that of Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran, Karunanidhi’s grand nephew.

The 43-year-old Tamil Nadu MP was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in July 2007 and has been a member of various parliament committees of ministries including health, rural development, women empowerment and human resource development.

Asked if the ministry would remain with the DMK, an ally of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, Kanimozhi said: That is again a party decision. I cannot say anything on that.

The DMK has 18 MPs in the Lok Sabha.

Strongly defending the tainted Raja, Kanimozhi said: Raja has done nothing wrong. He resigned to allow the parliament to function smoothly.

Raja’s resignation failed to end an opposition-Congress standoff that has paralysed parliament. Opposition MPs want a joint parliamentary committee probe into the controversy.