Chennai:
The DMK chief, M Karunanidhi today said his party will not waver in its support to senior leader Dayanidhi Maran, who is at the centre of a CBI investigation for misusing his office when he was Telecom Minister.
Mr Karunanidhi's daughter, Kanimozhi, was arrested in May, in connection with a different aspect of the telecom scam that has ripped through the frontlines of the DMK.
"I treat my daughter Kanimozhi and the Maran brothers equally, "said Mr Karunanidhi , who is also Mr Maran's uncle. " Reports that I did not support Maran brothers is a part of a conspiracy by some vested interests to destroy the DMK totally...I have never hesitated to face any issue legally and will never do so in future also. I have complete faith in the doctrine that justice will ultimately triumph," he added.
Kalanithi, who is Dayanidhi's brother, owns Sun Networks. In 2006, his company allegedly received a massive kickback from an entrepreneur who Dayanidhi Maran had obliged with telecom licenses.
The CBI yesterday filed a case against the Maran brothers accusing them of criminal conspiracy. Sources have told NDTV that the Marans will be summoned after the CBI has collated all documents seized in the raids.
Also charged in the FIR is T Ananda Krishnan, the Malaysia-based owner of the Maxis group. Dayanidhi, who was Union Textiles Minister, was forced to resign in July over a massive favour he showed to Mr Ananda Krishnan.
As Telecom Minister, Mr Maran allegedly helped Mr Ananda Krishnan acquire mobile operator company Aircel, which was originally owned by C Sivasankaran. By denying Aircel licenses, Mr Maran allegedly pressured Mr Sivasankaran to sell the company to Maxis. Within months of the sale, Mr Maran sanctioned the licenses that were pending. And Sun TV received an investment of more than 600 crores from the Maxis group via one of its subsidiaries, Astro.
The homes and offices of the Marans were raided in Chennai and Delhi yesterday. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who shares a bitter and lengthy rivalry with the Marans, says the brothers have little to worry about. "The CBI raids on Maran brothers, their offices and associates appear to be a mere eye wash to hoodwink public. We do hope that something would come of these raids but it seems to be an exercise in cheating public." Referring to the fact that the Aircel-Maxis deal took place in 2006, she said, "It's very difficult to imagine that in this interval of four years, the Maran brothers would still be keeping incriminating documents in their residences or office premises. "
The telecom scam has left the DMK reeling in its wake. A Raja, who replaced Mr Maran as Telecom Minister in 2007, is in jail for selling mobile network licenses at abysmally low prices to companies that were ineligible. Mr Karunanidhi's daughter, Kanimozhi, is in jail for allegedly helping Mr Raja receive a kickback from a company named Swan. Yesterday, the CBI indicated that it will not oppose Kanimozhi's application for bail, scheduled to be heard in a Delhi court on October 17.