Mr Karunanidhi has 18 Lok Sabha MPs. If his ministers do indeed quit, the party is likely to provide outside support to the UPA.The President of the DMK expressed his resentment over the arrest of his daughter, Kanimozhi, in connection with the 2G telecom scam. Earlier this week, he attributed her arrest publically to the "orders or complacency of the centre." On May 20, Kanimozhi was denied bail by a Delhi court that's trying the 2G scam. The judge said the Kanimozhi's political clout could influence the investigation into what's reported to be India's largest-ever scam. Kanimozhi is a Rajya Sabha MP. She's been accused of accepting a Rs. 214-crore bribe in conspiracy with A Raja, who is also from the DMK and served as Telecom Minister till late last year. Mr Raja was arrested in February - like Kanimozhi, he is in Tihar Jail.
A third DMK leader, Dayanidhi Maran who is currently Textiles Minister, is also being investigated by the CBI for his role in the same scam. Mr Maran is Mr Karunanidhi's nephew and served as Telecom Minister before Mr Raja. He has been accused of coercing the former owner of Aircel to sell the company at a massive discount to another industrialist close to Mr Maran. The new owner of the company invested close to Rs. 800 crores soon after in Sun TV, a company owned by Maran's brother. The CBI is determining whether this was a kickback for Mr Maran.
The DMK's alleged entanglement in the 2G scam is being spotlighted when the party has been battered in its home state. In the recent elections in Tamil Nadu, it delivered one of its worst-ever performances. The DMK had contested the elections with the Congress, which had pressured Mr Karunanidhi into ceding a considerable number of constituencies to Congress candidates. The disastrous results weighed heavily on the partnership.
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