Coimbatore:
After getting a hero's welcome in Chennai on Friday, former Telecom Minister A Raja is visiting his constituency Nilgiris, for two days starting today. Not surprisingly, he got a rousing welcome in Coimbatore too, from where he travelled on road to his constituency.
Speaking to NDTV at the Coimbatore airport, he said he was "happy to be meeting his people in his area".
For the next two days, Mr Raja is expected to meet people from his constituency, receive petitions, talk and cheer party cadre as well. He would hold a review meeting of development works at Udhagamandalam tomorrow and visit Kothagiri and Gudalur, before returning to Chennai on June 12, his party supporters said.
The court had earlier, while granting him bail on May 15 imposed certain conditions, including that he would not visit his home state without its prior permission.
Mr Raja had sought the court's permission to visit his constituency on the ground that the trial proceedings would not be undertaken from June 9 to June 30 owing to summer vacations.
Though looked upon as a hero in Nilgiris, Mr Raja is far from done with the slew of allegations against him. He was granted bail last month, and permission to visit Tamil Nadu till the end of this month. But a Delhi court is trying him for graft charges so serious that if he is convicted, the former telecom minister could be sentenced to prison for life.
Lok Sabha polls are due in two years and the next two days could determine if Mr Raja will be able to win back public confidence.