Chennai:
A day after he visited his daughter for the second time in a month in a Delhi jail, M Karunanidhi said, "Kanimozhi's body is swollen and full of blisters. "
Kanimozhi was arrested on May 20 in connection with the 2G telecom scam. She was denied bail by the Supreme Court earlier this week.
Mr Karunanidhi spent 30 minutes with her yesterday. He was accompanied by her mother, Rajathi Ammal and his son, Union Minister M Alagiri. The 'first family' of the DMK took Kanimozhi some
murraku or savoury snacks.
Mr Karunanidhi blamed the media for "false reports" on Kanimozhi and said the CBI is trying to prove these reports. Kanimozhi is accused of accepting a Rs 214-crore kickback along with fellow DMK leader, A Raja, who is also in Tihar Jail.
Mr Karunanidhi hinted that his party would prefer for the new law against corruption - the Lokpal Bill - to apply to the Prime Minister's Office, a view that is at odds with the government's stand. "DMK had included even the Chief Minister in the anti-corruption law. That's our stand on Lok Pal. On bringing the PM under Lokpal, I leave that to you," said the DMK chief.
(Read: Lokpal must cover PM, challenges DMK) Many attribute this to the arrest of Kanimozhi. Mr Karunanidhi was in Delhi yesterday but did not attend the meeting of the UPA, where the Prime Minister briefed allies about the Lokpal Bill. The DMK was represented by TR Baalu.