DMK may not dump Raja — immediately

CHENNAI - The DMK may not distance itself immediately from its scam tainted former telecom minister Andimuthu Raja, whose homes were raided Wednesday over the 2G spectrum controversy, party sources said.

Tamil Nadu’s ruling party feels that if it drops Raja now, it would amount to admitting that he was guilty of wrongdoing, the sources said.

The party’s reaction came hours after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) searched the houses of Raja in New Delhi and Tamil Nadu, and that too was necessitated by the dramatic revelations that he tried to influence a judge in a bail case in Chennai.

The CBI raids are part of the investigation process. Raja has been saying that he would come out clean “and the party believes that, a senior party leader told IANS, dmanding not to be named.

Will Raja give up his party post?

That angle has not been looked at. As of now, the party is behind Raja,” said the source.

Raja has been accused of handing over the 2G spectrum/radio waves to mobile telephony companies at throw away price and also of favouring some firms.

DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has been playing the Dravidian card in support of Raja and has said that the entire controversy is an “Aryan ploy to bring down a Dravidian”.

What added fuel to the fire against Raja was the revelation of the Madras High Court bench Tuesday that the former minister tried to influence a judge to grant bail to two accused in a case investigated by CBI.

Raja then told reporters that he was resigning from parliament so that the stalled by the opposition until now it could function normally again.

–Indo Asian News Service